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Futuristic Blacksun (Notorious x C.DEX)

"Your buns? But don't you usually have only one bu-" He said the sly look on her face and began to laugh. "If it gets me out of work duty I'll gladly talk about your buns much more." He teased back, coming out of his shell a little bit after knowing Dayle for so long.


Whilst on the ship Axel looked over to the Avian guard who had complimented him. "You aren't interrupting anything. Just doing my job, the honor is all mine. Without men like you this station would be in ruins, we just got lucky." He replied, surprised to be getting a congratulations of all things from a random guard and returning the courtesy in full. His tone didn't exactly match the way he replied, he sounded awfully tired. Luckily, word had spread about their deeds on the Icarus and the people of the station were more than grateful for their heroic actions and sacrifice. Perhaps those congratulations was something Axel needed to hear, to know that he was still doing good for the Coalition.


"You aren't interrupting anything." Lucy said with a big grin. "Usually you guard types are the strong silent type and rarely even say anything even when we address you! It's refreshing to know you all aren't androids. No offense Wraith."


As the van was driving, Vitor squeezed next to Dayle and Lucy and took up such a wide amount of the vehicle it was actually comical looking. "They don't make these things bigger do they? I'm use to squeezing into tighter things but... This is a bit excessive. Big door, small van."


"Ahh... two innuendos back to back Vitor. Care for a third?" Lucy commented with a smirk, overhearing what he had said to Dayle not too long ago. "Haven't seen you this chipper before old man. What's got you all smiley?"


"I... have feeling back in my hands." He confessed, his big smile returning to his face as a slight blush tinted his cheeks after he realized he had accidentally dropped yet another innuendo. The crew was rubbing off on him and making him joke a lot more, something that was needed in the usual grim Gaius. "When I woke up I went to rub my eyes and actually felt them for the first time since they were burnt. Can you believe it? Before it was as if I was moving something that wasn't there... I can feel again!" He exclaimed, smiling at Lucy who simply hugged his arm tightly.
 
"They don't say anything because it's in their training not to, but then again the competency of my guards never actually ceases to amaze me." Nephilim corrected, directing his ire at the guard. The guard, in turn, leaned back into his seat, gun still gripped in his hands. "Remain quiet, Avel. This is not your event."


Dayle gave a brief sigh of discontentment, as the Vice Chancellor had attempted to deflate the moment. Luckily for them, they hadn’t done anything particularly bad. In fact, they had recently destroyed a gigantic Exodlite hub, meaning that there wasn’t much he could say in the way of their competency. It was a relief; a breath of fresh air. She turned her attentions back to the former Exodlite, who was smiling down to his hands. “That’s good, big guy, but we’re still gonna make you wear them nice oven mittens out on missions, now. Once we see you stopping trying to touch hot things we’ll let you take ‘em off.” she said, chiding.


“We’re always happy to assist you with your recuperation, Vitor.” Div said, chiming out. “Though I am happy that your healing has progressed naturally, remember that you have favor with the RCN.” she finished. The Vice Chancellor looked over to his superior, another disapproving look in his eyes. Of course, he didn’t mention anything for just that reason; not that the always observant Div hadn’t caught it regardless. “I am hoping to be able to allow you all to rest properly after this, but of course, I can never guarantee such a thing.”


“A tool rusts with unuse.” Nephilim said, putting in his two cents. “Don’t be so eager to not utilize your resources.” It became clear, in that small moment, what exactly the Gaius team had meant to him.


“Except me. I do not rust.” Wraith said, revitalizing the air in the van.


The team couldn’t help but draw their eyes toward the window of the van. Due to its nature, it could stride far above the city blocks of the RCN, allowing the team to a beautiful view of the terranous habilitation station. They strode up and over the planterly grassed residential districts, where civilians relaxed into their homes. Then, the neon-market district, where traders and craftsmen hocked goods to passerby’s, when they weren’t offering their services to the Renegades. Then, finally, the political district came up. Dreary non-aesthetic buildings took hold of their windows, with decoration being not-so-practical enough for the area. Then, deep in the political district, a building above all others stood out. It was guarded heavily, with RCN soldiers standing out front, always ready. There was where the transport van came to a slow stop, landing out in front. The guards from beforehand pulled themselves out of the van, opening the door first for the Chancellors, and second for the Gaius crew.


They were in the Council Tower, a heavily-fortified building deep within the RCN that hosted the governmental meetings that decided the fate of the large Rebellion hub. Not many of the Gaius crew had made it there, only ever having met in their particular division’s Chancellor’s office. For Lucy, Vitor, Dayle, and Axel, that was Div’s building. But there they were.


Dayle stepped out of the van after Div, followed by Vitor, Lucy, and Axel. Not for rank’s sake, of course, but because they had been comically packed into the van and that truly was the only option. “Wow, Div. The RCN Political District’s usually all … I dunno. Box cut? But this is actually a pretty nice place. Normally this’d make me nervous, but judgin’ by yer smiles and all I think I shouldn’t be, ain’t it?”


“That is correct.” Div said, before looking back to the massive tower behind her. “Welcome to the Council Tower. Ninety nine point nine percent of our population never sees this place.”
 
"Last time I was here you had me running that damn rebellion on Vanix-9, Div. Had to get the whole council's approval to meddle in neutral affairs, that meeting took forever." Axel said with a smirk, looking up at the tower. "Can't believe it's been years since I been here. Hasn't changed much but... refreshing to see some of the old sticks around. That point one percent that sees it generally doesn't see it for long, take it in y'all."


Lucy beamed up at the tower, for a woman her age it was unheard of to even be this close to the tower let alone going to it. Cadets rarely if ever got to tag along on such ordeals, their eyes usually not as trust worthy as normal agents to go to such a high security clearance area. Lucy however was a big exception, she had technically been on more missions than most training recruits seen during their time training. For some reason Div had assigned her to the Gaius to train for longer, as if seeing the potential the girl had within her when she didn't even see it herself.


"Well, this point one here is fucking dazzled. That is GIGANTIC!" She exclaimed, craning her neck back just to see the top of the tower. Lucy giggled as she nearly fell backwards doing so in which Vitor quietly placed his hand behind her and kept her upright. "Thanks big guy... I can't help but feel like there is something up Chancellor Div." Lucy observed. "Cadets are practically forbidden from coming up here, let alone even being able to see it. Most meetings I've been excluded from for being so green but-"


"You aren't green anymore, Luce." Axel said, answering before Div had the chance to. They began walking towards the tower, the guards circling them all. Lucy gave Avel a wink as they were walking, showing that she wasn't approving of how Nephilim treated him and hopefully to bring the guard's spirits up. Axel then continued, "You've seen more action than most cadets do, and if they see that amount of action they usual run to a neutral planet with their tail between their legs and quit. You're thirsty for knowledge and action and you've gotten both... Hell, to me, you're a full squad member at this point. It won't be long until you're officially promoted, you got a bright future."


Lucy was stunned, Axel had never said anything quite mature or flattering like that to her. She was speechless before a moment before saying, "Well shucks Captain. I think you got a bright one too."


Axel disagreed.


"Chancellor Div... Are you... sure it's a good idea I come along?" Vitor asked quietly as he walked behind her. "Most think of me as a weapon which is fine, I have accepted that title, but most also look at me as if I am still an Exodlite. I feel like I've proven myself time and time again loyal but no one will give me the time of day." He seen Nephilim sneer, "Which I understand." He followed it with to their surprise. "Would you like me to head back to the Gaius? I don't wish to cause any trouble."
 
"Asking you to come here was more of an order than a question, Vitor Frede." Div said, tone serious. Though she walked ahead of him and he couldn't see her, her lips curled into a small smile. The Crusader didn't know what was coming; in fact, none of them did. Not even Nephilim, whose face contorted into further scorn as the Chancellor seemed to be hiding something. "Vice Chancellor, do you think Vitor should be welcomed here?" Div asked, noticing his expression.


"Do you want the honest answer or the political one, Chancellor Ifrit'a'Div? Both are the same, of course." Nephilim snapped back, his witted words the consequence of many years spent serving the Renegade Council. "Of course I don't think that having a former Exodlite in the midst of Chancellors of the Coalition is a good idea, but that was a loaded question from the start." He said, a slight scowl to his lips. "I can appreciate, however, his recognition as a tool as much as Wraith is."


That was as much of a compliment as Vitor would ever get from Nephilim, it seemed. Div continued, knowing the political side of Nephilim would refrain to push the subject further. "Just as well, if anyone attempts to cause trouble... well, you do have a Chancellor to defend you." She said, one of her seven eyes winking to the giant.


"Lucy, bide your patience." Div reminded the young girl, though in a less stern manner than she had reminded Vitor. "You're young, free-spirited... fast-paced. You will learn everything in time just as you have learned about the Gaius. After all, where are we now?" She asked, with a chuckle. "As for you, Axel... well, that day, I had to wonder if you'd be the second human Chancellor. I wonder how happy they will be to see you again?"


"So we are going to the Council." Dayle deduced. It had been unclear as of thus; after all, the mega structure served more than just one purpose. "Aw, Div. You should have told us to dress up for the Council, not how we'da liked to be seen. Those're two different fields." Dayle said, suddenly looking down to her attire.


"You two look beautiful." Div said, stopping in place to look at Dayle and Lucy. "I can't think of two people more appropriately dressed."


With a smile, Dayle and the lot of them continued past the guards and into the building, with the guards that had followed them affirming their identifications. The inside was adorned by columns, as if it were a magnificent bank or courthouse. There, the Chancellors lead the crew to a set of wood-esque doors, massive in structure. With bated breath, they stopped in place.


"Put on your faces." Div said, a familiar Corscezzi phrase. "When you're ready... Axel. Let me know."
 
Axel took one quick look around the Gaius group. Lucy looked uncharacteristically nervous as did Dayle with Vitor looking the same for different reasons. When Axel met Wraith's eye the droid raised up his hand and waved at the Captain, causing the whole scene to look so bizarre to Axel he couldn't help but laugh. His laugh cut through the tension like a knife as he turned back to Dayle, giving his team some extra confidence going forward.


"It's just the council, they'll have to pay me extra for my face too. Already got my arms and legs." He teased, relieving the others to see that this wasn't such a big deal. Axel knew how to speak to the council and while he hadn't done it in a while he was good at talking, one of the few things that hadn't been taken from him yet. "After you, Chancellor Div." He said, motioning forward then nodding firmly at Nephilim as both he and Div walked forward. It was refreshing not being escorted by guards as they funneled out to the sides, they were on quite literally the most secure place on the RCN among some of the best the Coalition had to offer.


The giant wooden doors opened traditional style, instead of disappearing into the door frame they opened out into the main council room that left most of the group in awe. Old world technology added a class to the room that could not be compared as they began walking into a massive open room. It was circular by design, being the very base of the tower. What shocked them was how much of the tower was simply this rooms ceilings as those who looked up were treated to the most beautiful sight of a ceiling that nearly stretched on to the roof. In the middle of the room was a circle of chairs, all for the Chancellors and their Vice Chancellors to sit while whoever they were talking to would stand in the middle of them all. Those who stood in said circle were either in trouble, commentated or being briefed on the most dangerous missions the council had to offer. To see that there were no seats for visitors indicated that there would be no outside audience other than chancellors, and, they were the only ones they were going to see currently.


In the circular room, there were 8 different entrances to the council room. All heavily guarded and placed in a way where multiple chancellors could arrive at once without bumping in to their guests or other chancellors. Soon, they began to flood the room. People of all different races walked up to their seats in their council room, all wearing the standard Chancellor garb of robes. It drastically set them apart from their troops, holding themselves with a layer of dignity that the rest of the Renegades lacked. They were softer people working with barbarians, the combat specialists may not have ever seen a day of combat in their life but were either masters of commanding it, or, simply hiding their inexperience.


Soon Div and Nephilim had broke away, moving to their seats side by side with Div having a noticeably bigger seat than Nephilim's that was raised above his. All of the main chancellors had special recognition as such with Vice Chancellors simply taking their duties they couldn't handle on their own. Axel led the Gaius crew to the center of the room and stood directly in the middle facing Div and Nephilim after scanning the room. He smirked at her, it had been a while since they had gathered there. Some had even arrived by remote holograms, Brok sitting in his seat close to Div but in holographic form. He smiled at Axle and the others as he came online, pleased to see them even if it was simply through technology. Soon, the other chancellors took their seats and the room went silent. As tradition, the Gaius crew awaited on the chancellors to speak first.
 
The Chancellors allowed themselves a formidable amount of time in which to seat and adjust; such a while, that it had almost made the Gaius crew feel uncomfortable. That was soon over with, when both Chancellor Ifrit'a'Div and another, less familiar Chancellor had stood from their seats. The Chancellor that had accompanied Div was a lean, gaunt humanoid with glassy, orb-like eyes and a blue pallor to his skin. Much like many of the other Chancellors, he looked older in age, though not wilting due to it. A smile played upon his face, where some Chancellors seemed indistinguishable. They both rounded the table on separate ends, though the Chancellor that had accompanied Div held what was unmistakably a medal box. Standing in front of Axel, Div began to speak.


"Axel Winger." She said, starting. The room grew quiet, the Chancellors turning their full gazes to the Captain. "Captain of the Gaius crew. Former infiltration agent, carrying out an upwards of fifty-plus missions under deep cover. The danger of losing yourself was high... But you persevered. Through extreme interrogation. Through enemy territory. Through the very existence of you and your personality being threatened. And you did so bravely, in pursuit of freedom throughout the galaxy. To assure that the innocents of this world would no longer have to suffer the tyrannical rule of the religious zealots that plague us.


You have liberated prisoner ships; you have lead rebellions, sparking hope into downtrodden; you have shown an immeasurable amount of strength and bravery; you have held the RCN's and the Universe's children to the same regard as your own by simply being in our company. You have shown mercy to those who haven't deserved it, you have created a family of your own amongst your crewmates. You, Axel Winger... you are truly brave. And because of that, I - Chancellor Ifrit'a'Div - and," she gestured a hand toward the Chancellor to her side.


"And I - Chancellor Undyne, of Internal Law and Judgement,"


"...Bestow upon you this award. It will be one of many upon your collection, of course, but also take it in reminder of not only the gold, but what it represents. Courage. Bravery. Hope. Love. Not for you. But for the ones you've saved. Chance." Div finished. Her hands fell to the awards box, delicately opening it up. In it lied a golden pin, beautiful in nature. She fastened it to the front of his jacket, smiling serenely at him. Then, she took the side of his jacket lapel, straightening it out like a proud mother.


"Humans... are delicate. And strong. You age fast, you learn so much, and then ... you don't get to see the seeds of what you planted grow. Know that your actions - and your team's - will sew the seeds to a brighter future. Just try to be there for when it happens." She said. "Do you accept this award?" She asked. "Keep in mind that that is a rhetorical question." The other Chancellors gave a brief laugh.
 
Axel was stunned. He had received rewards before but never in front of the entire council, seeing all of their smiling faces and gratitude towards him. He looked down at the pin and to see Div smiling so purely at him, he hadn't seen that from her in years. A genuine smile, one of hope and such sincerity that it almost warmed his heart. Almost. He thought of the sacrifices he made, of how his sacrifice was planting the seeds of hope in the cosmos only to never see the full result of his labors. It was bittersweet, knowing that all he did would effect generations that he would never get to see. That's what he was fighting for and he had given almost everything for it, so why did he feel so empty?


"Of course..." Axel said with a smile on his face, one that he had to rehearse several times a day. "I mean, rhetorical or not you already pinned it to my coat. Kinda hard to deny that, huh? You work fast, ma'am." This caused a few of the chancellors to laugh in response as he was slick, a trait that many of them approved of. "Thank you Chancellor Ifrit'a'Div, Chancellor Undyne... Thank all of you, for bestowing this award on me. I've given a lot for the Coalition. Not because of some award, y'all can melt this down if we need the parts." He heard a gasp from one of the civilian chancellors, such an idea even if he was joking was unheard of. "...but because we are running out of time. Every day we hear of a new Exodlite attack, a new expansion of their's... Our people dying. Not long ago I was laying in a hospital bed just thinking to myself... have I really done enough? Was everything I accomplished so far enough to finish this war?"


He paused and made eye contact with Nephilim. In that moment he felt as if they were thinking the same thing, 'This was a waste of time.' They should be working instead of speaking. But, in order to inspire the Chancellors to work more with him sacrifices had to be made.


Axel just wished he felt something from all of this.


"You know what I heard from myself?... A big resounding no. The first mission I got out of the hospital, we got out of the hospital." He said, gesturing to his team. "Was to take out a transport ship. Easy warm-up, we do them all the time. Then... That big... no just rang in my ears when I seen the opportunity to take on something bigger. I thought of those seeds you talked about Div, on how I may never get to see them fully grow. Well... The more I thought about it those seeds might never get planted if we don't push back harder. If we don't fight harder. The Exodlites are coming, and when they do they are going to bring their entire wrath down upon us. So... I took my team and went on the offensive. Something we have been afraid to do because of our limitations. Look at what we accomplished." He smiled at them, a geunine one finally. "I accept this award on the grounds that I will continue to keep pushing the attack. You may hear things of ol Crazy Winger and the Gaius squad-" That caused a laugh from a few of the chancellors while inspiring others. "-but let me tell you this Chancellors... I will not stop fighting until this war is won, or until I'm taken out." He paused, "And they're gonna need a fucking army if they're going to take me!" He said, pounding his chest with his fist causing several spectators to erupt into applause along with the Gaius squad who couldn't help but be moved by their Captain's speech.


"No one has been able to win over the room with profanity before..." Brok said, his hologram laughing heartily as he stood up. He couldn't move far because of the limitations in technology so he stood in place gaining everyone's attention. "...But we have been witnessing a lot of firsts for everything lately. Thank you Captain Winger, and thank you Gaius crew. Now, because I am not there and having to tend to the war effort... Being the Chancellor of Militarization and Strategy, I too, have an award for you. Not just for you Captain, I don't think we could handle another speech." He said with a smile, "But for your crew. Chancellor Div, if you would." Another award case was behind her which she pulled out and opened, four medals laid inside that rivaled the one Axel had received. "In my job title the word Strategy is there. It's there for a reason of course... It's because I've lead millions of soldiers of all different kinds into battle on thousands of different fronts. Never before have we ever witnessed a crew of four and an android take on an Exodlite Listening Post. They're heavily defended, stealthed and house hundreds of troops. You did it with five... That takes more strategy and grit than any of our missions in the past decade!"


Div began pinning each medal to all four of their chests, even Vitor who graciously accepted said reward and placing it on himself as there was no way she was going to be able to reach up. Axel was last and once again he smiled back at her before she took a few steps back to look at them all.


"For your combined strategies and execution of said plan we award you four the Medal of Tactics. An honor we have not given out in over a decade..." Brok paused, letting the severity of it all sink in. "Captain Winger... Easy on the speech this time." He teased before sitting back down.


"No speech just... Thank you... Recognizing our expertise is all we ask for. We've demonstrated that time and time again... to be commended for it is a dream come true." He lied. He didn't care for either reward, his patience beginning to run thin. Luckily for Axel, he was a master of being someone other than himself and continued to wear such a mask as he spoke. "Chancellors... It means the world to me that you also included my crew. Without them, I would most certainly be dead. All of them are the best to me, and while we may not have formed under ideal circumstances, I believe we were put together for reasons greater than ourselves. It truly is an honor, thank you."


He still felt nothing.
 
Div gave a bow to the esteemed Captain, who had gained two incredibly prestigious awards in the course of several minutes. Still, there was something off in the way he held himself. There was political diatribe - something that she was incredibly used to. Something that she could spot a mile away. Still, she bore a smile to both him and Chancellor Brok, whose awards came few and far between. Behind him, Dayle beamed quietly. To the side of the room, blending in quietly in the back, Wraith stood valiantly. Lucy twiddled her thumbs in nervousness, while Vitor seemed to be taken by the fact that he was awarded anything at all. It wasn't unknown, however, that the very few former Exodlites in RCN company were recognized for their militaristic value, though. Suddenly, the room shifted. Div's attention focused back on Dayle, who was more than proud of her new medallion. When Div spoke her name, though, she seemed to jump, completely taken aback that there was more.


"Dayle Benskett." she said, bemused. "Step forward."


The pilot did just that, unkneading her hands and placing them officially at her sides. "Today you are also being honored. Don't look so nervous. I'm not going to yell at you again." she said, smiling. The pilot's shoulders dropped, when she'd realized they had been slowly hiking upwards. This small gesture of humanity seemed to displace the Chancellors, though not entirely in a negative way. She wasn't particularly versed in political strategy, and in a way, that was almost endearing in itself. Still, she remained quiet, a flush appearing on her cheeks as she was singled out amongst them.


"Dayle Benskett. You've helped the RCN for a formidable amount of your life." she paused. "May I start at the beginning?"


The pilot nodded solemnly, her expression dropping slightly in seriousness.


"I'm unaware of the other Chancellors know of my team's history, but ... Dayle Benskett started with the RCN after having her own ship viciously mauled by an Exodlite attack. There, she used her piloting skills to guide her remaining crewmembers to safety, with the use of only one arm after she herself had been attacked by an Enactor. Since then, Miss Benskett has shown not only the resolve the get retribution for herself, but also those who died in the attack that day, as well as those who were attacked further. She has worked under the direction of not only me, but the deceased External Law and Judgement Chancellor Theo Yivell, as well. She studied under the esteemed Captain Tar'Ias, who saw to her current training and her Captaincy aboard the Gaius after the Starchild had been fatally decommissioned on Ertherius."


The rehashing of her own past had sunken the pilot's smile as she looked steely onto Div, who had born the same expression and air of dignity. Behind her back - out of the view of the Chancellors, she grabbed her own wrist tight. Then, Div took another medal from the box that Undyne held, pinning it onto the front of Dayle's jacket.


"Dayle Benskett, I am awarding this medal of honor to you because throughout the trials and tribulations and great loss you have faced throughout your history with the Renegade Coalition Network... You have showed an unending drive to keep going. You have liberated the Sinai, intercepted and decommissioned the Icarus, took down the planet-killing Harvester Dredge, disposed of Exodlite personnel that would cause great harm to our movement, and you've truly, overall, brought great pride to us. We are so happy to have your talent in our company, and this award is a symbol of that. Because you, along with your teammates, have shown amazing resolve. Resolve that has lead to thousands of lives being liberated and saved. You are a hero amongst us." she said, slowly filling the pilot up with pride again. "Thank you from all of us, Dayle Benskett, official Elite Pilot of the Renegade Coalition Network."


"...Thank you, Div." Dayle said, serious. "I'm ... grateful to be here. It's hard. But... I'm proud. Of me, of Axel, of Vitor, of Lucy."


The Chancellor looked to the last mentioned, smiling at the nervous girl.


"Go ahead and step back, Dayle Benskett. Lucretia Deckard. Step forward."
 
"Oh crap..." She whispered, her nerves getting the best of her as she wobbly walked forward. From a distance she looked like just a nervous girl but on the inside her adrenaline was pumping and she had forgotten how to speak. Lucy was sweating bullets as her body took care of the rest, stopping in place and letting Div approach her. She kept her eyes dead ahead but kept looking at a particular chancellor who kept smiling at her. She smiled back but it came out awkward as she laughed along with it to which the chancellor just shook his head chuckling. She let out a huge sigh when Chancellor Div got in front of her.


"Hey... You're okay." Vitor whispered to her from behind her, leaning down slightly. "You all are being rewarded, remember that. There is nothing to be nervous about."


"We can't be having this conversation she's literally right in front of me..." Lucy said out of the corner of her mouth, noticing that Div seemed to be amused by her nervousness. "Hiya Div..." She whispered out of earshot of the other chancellors.


Vitor leaned back to his normal standing position while looking over to Dayle and giving her a wink, she and Lucy had a lot of similarities and being the main attention of the room didn't seem to be one of their strong suits. Vitor himself didn't exactly have a choice being as massive as he was but he held himself with confidence the whole time, glancing down at his team as he noticed Axel staring off into space just listening. Even during all these commendations he felt that something was off about them all, they had never been recognized before and now he simply just stood there. His speech was good but it felt shoe horned in to Vitor at least, especially after hearing Winger speeches that he meant.


Lucy then stood up straight, after regaining her confidence when she seen Div smile back at the nervous girl. Her brain blocked out the other chancellors for a moment, her cheeks beginning to resemble her hair as she awaited what was about to happen.
 
"Lucretia Deckard, or... Lucy. Normally, you would be right about us not allowing cadets into the Council Tower." Div said, seeing the hesitance and excitement creep into the girl's face, as things began to click. "But you are not that anymore. An entire ship full of crewmate's lives is not often thrusted into a cadet's hands. Cadets do not survive being trapped in foreign alien wastelands, nor do they singlehandedly operate entire stealth fighters, or dispatch Exodlite Enactors. They don't employ psychological warfare against their enemies. They can't take apart an engine and put it back together again within the span of a day. You, Lucretia Deckard, are not a cadet." She said. "You are a competent agent, capable of doing much anything in the way of assisting your team."


She attempted to gauge the expression on the girl's face. It was a mixture of fear, excitement, anxiety, embarrassment, and happiness. But mostly anxiety and fear. Div pulled not one, but two medals out of the medal box, making quick work of pinning both onto the young Lucy's jacket. One was the medal of honor badge that she had given both Dayle and Axel, while the other ... was unmistakably an agent's medallion.


"Normally, the Council does not oversee agent promotions, Lucy. This is a special circumstance. It is something that has been long overdue, in light of your capabilities. So, I, Chancellor Ifrit'a'Div, officially ordain you as a Junior Agent assigned to the Intelligence Acquisition and Media jurisdiction of the Renegade Coalition Network. You are no longer a cadet. You shall never call yourself green again. You are officially a Free Agent, surveyor of worlds, defender of the weak and less fortunate throughout the galaxy." Div said, bowing her own head in respect. "Lucretia Deckard... You were never meant to be a soldier. But in trying times, you have far surpassed the expectations of a young girl in your position and passed up the logical, decision-making capabilities, piloting abilities, and engineering aspects of someone even beyond your age. You, unmeant for this life, meant to be a farmer on a distant rimworld and not a blossoming, promising young agent, have passed the expectations set out for you and those set out for others. Congratulations, young one." She said, the Chancellor to her side also bowing in respect.


Dayle, seeing Lucy freeze up, poked her elbow. "Tell them how ya feel." She said, her smile beaming pride throughout the room.
 
"I... don't know... what... Wow..." She said, looking down at both medals. It felt like just yesterday she had left her colony on a journey into the unknown, followed by enlisting with the Renegades. Now she was no longer a cadet but an actual member and honored among the council none the less. "Thank you Chancellor Div... Thank all of you! I am at a loss for words here so I'm going to freestyle-" Almost everyone recoiled at the young girl's words, instantly cutting her anxiety in half causing her to laugh triumphantly. "Not that kind of freestyle. Like you said, I only use psychological torture against our enemies." Everyone had seen how she tortured a ship full of people and what happened to them, she was one of the keys to their success no matter how ridiculous it may have been.


"Dodged a bullet there." Axel added with a smirk, a half one but one nonetheless. Even he couldn't be sour about Lucy's rapping skills on the battlefield. "Go on Luce, I'm sure you have more to say than just that."


"Well I uhh... I may not be as experienced at accepting awards like my Captain or former Captain but I guess... Ever since I found the Coalition this has been a dream of mine. To be considered an equal and not a rookie anymore. I feel like I pick up skills faster and faster the more I dive in and I'm positive with the resource of a junior agent I can further make more of a change. Does this mean... I have to leave the Gaius? I was first stationed to learn from Dayle and then Axel but... I know I could handle myself without them but I still feel like I have a lot to learn from them."


"You have to go through an extensive application process." Axel said, speaking up before one of the chancellors could. "The ship's captain has a say in who gets to work on what ship. You can submit your application to Chancellor Div or Nephilim and then their office can forward your application to me, I'll look over it and see if you're cut out for this line of work, Junior Agent Lucy. And... If you met the requirements then I'll have you on my ship." He said, teasing the girl as she got even more red in the face. "Welcome aboard Agent Lucretia..." He finished after he had got her going there, several of the chancellors laughed. For an award ceremony it was much light hearted than previous ones, something everyone in the room needed to a degree.


"Thank you Captain... And thank you all once again. I won't let you down and this means the world to me... I never imagined myself being an award winner like this. It's actually..." She paused, then began to grin. "Really fucking cool!"
 
Div smiled to the young, proud Lucy. There was an aspect in the girl that she had seen in herself. It wasn't often that young girls joined up with the Renegades, especially if they hadn't been obligated to or forced out of their homes. Div knew her story well, and seeing the bright young new agent succeed, especially under her guidance, had meant the world to both her and the young girl. The beaming faces of Dayle and Vitor showed just how much they had wanted her to succeed as well. They were like proud family members, taking honor simply in being a part of her journey. Dayle reached her hand up, scruffling the girl's hair as she beamed, then broke professionalism and gave her a quick hug. They stepped back, most of the business of the day having seemingly been concluded. "I'm proud of you, Agent Lucy." The Chancellor said. Then, she looked up to the elephant in the room.


Figuratively and literally.


Time seemed to stop for a moment as the Chancellor singled out Vitor. Nephilim covered his eyes, a distinct mark of displeasure appearing on his face. They had all known Div long enough - argued in her court - against her, and for her - to know what was going to happen. The Chancellor gestured Vitor forward, urging him to take place in front of her. Then, when he hadn't moved - out of either nerves or simply not believing that she was talking to him - she spoke. "Vitor Frede, step forward." She said, commanding. Not only him, but the respect of the room. Her voice was metallic and often cold, but the Chancellor managed to speak in a way that betrayed her race.


"Some here will not condone my actions." She said, starting off. "But I have been in this business long enough to know when someone is deceitful." She started off, wracking the nerves of the former Crusader. "Many will say - including some in here - that you are not to be trusted. I don't hesitate bringing this up, because if anything, I am known to not spare feelings. You feel alienated from the Renegades, Vitor. But make no mistake, you are one; you have been, for a while. You have slain your former men in the name of true good, not the one constructed by your former slavers.


Against the advice of some of my fellow Chancellors, I am awarding you this medal of honor. For going against the true odds, breaking the mold of what you were supposed to be, and ripping the strengths of what they have given you away and using it against the Imperial Exodon Army; the followers of Damaris. You, Vitor Frede, deserve this honor. You protect your teammates, spilling your blood so they do not have to spill theirs. And you take this medal with humbleness." Div said, grasping for his hand.


She opened it, and placed the dwarfed medallion inside. Her own hands closed his, cementing the gesture while the other Chancellors remained silent. Nephilim's eyes fell to Axel. Normally, he'd be speaking out, but his political game had urged him otherwise.


"Enough." A voice came, from an elderly, yellowish xenid draped in Renegade robery. Div respectfully drew back, looking to the conservative man with a bemused smirk. "Any longer and you should simply give him our robes yourself."


"You're right. I wouldn't want that to happen." Div replied, slight sarcasm in her voice. "Thank you, Frede. For your sacrifice and service."
 
"Thank you..." He whispered, holding the medal and just starring at it as Div drew back. Vitor felt everyone's eyes glue to him as he accepted the award. Many felt disdane for Div even thinking of giving an Exodlite such an honor, other small honors were approved but this? This was a problem waiting to happen. A few of the Chancellors began to speak out before Vitor spoke, his voice commanding the room. "I've fought and bleed for the RCN for over a decade... Killed countless Exodlites... Completed every mission I was ever sent out on. You've viewed me as a weapon, a tool. That may be true, but I am also a man. A man that hears what you say about me, about how you discriminate me as if it was my choice I be an Exodlite. There are very few reformed ones like us simply because we are kept hostage in our own homes on the Exodus. I was tortured day in, day out just to lift a finger for the Exodlite cause."


The murmurs turned to silence as the old Crusader spoke.


"I'm not a young man anymore. I've given the rest of my youth to the Coalition. I've saved countless lives and I've done more for the RCN than most of you in this room." He said, surprisingly challenging them. "Chancellor Div sees this... And Chancellor Nephilim sees my results. None of you can deny them." Vitor looked over to Nephilim to see him simply looking to Axel or around the room, he thought it was rather strange. "So I accept this award in full, and promise to continue bringing results for the people on this station, regardless of what those in the room think."


No applause, as expected.


Vitor took a step back and while the room was quiet it gave a lot of them something to think about. His supporters in the stands were silent but silently supporting him nonetheless, he had even gained a few more with his words but now there was an awkward lull in the chamber. Axel seen the look on Div's face, she had actually wanted this. Seeing the slight mischievous smile on her face made him shake his head but if this had happened sooner then he might have actually laughed. It was a brilliant move to get the council to be silent, something that rarely happened.
 
"Alright, alright. We have other commencements to get on with. You're not the only team being honored today, and I'm quite honestly tired of the liberal jibber." The Chancellor from beforehand said, speaking up once again. Like a chain reaction, opinionated voices from nearly every seat began to break the mold, either in disdain for Div's actions, support of them, or urgency for other matters entirely.


"It's important to honor the teams that complete missions like the Icarus, Chancellor Thez. We've gained enough valuable intelligence from the Captain to identify another hybrid ship en-course." One voice arose. "Former Exodlite or not; and don't start with that liberal-conservancy trivel - what are we, Oldworldians?"


"Again with the thinly-veiled humanic discrimination. Perhaps we should call all the Crux men fiendish submissives and the Jordish pointy-spear savages?" Another Chancellor argued, from the side. A flurry of arguments cropped up, one after the other, taking the attention off of the Gaius team. Div quietly looked back, along with the medal-bearing Judge Chancellor Undyne, whose near-white eyes settled curiously on the rest of them. In this period of camoflauge, the Intelligence Chancellor stepped forward to the team, proud of the chaos that she had caused with Vitor's help.


Before she could open her mouth, the thin and gaunt Undyne took a step forward as well. "You do have a way of upsetting the rest of them, Ifrit." He addressed, casually, though his face didn't show bias one way or the other. "It amazes me at times. Others, it simply makes things complicated. Regardless," he proffered a hand toward Vitor. Unlike the others, the eerie Chancellor did not have to crook his elbow upwards to do so, being at a formidable height himself. "It was an honor to bestow awards upon your team." He said, curious to the giant.


"Thank you, Undyne." Dayle spoke out, pleased to see that not everyone had a vendetta. "Hey, Div. You got a meeting after this or somethin'?" She asked, informal now that the other Chancellors hadn't been paying mind and instead arguing amongst themselves.


"I've cleared my schedule. I wish to speak to you all, amongst the upper levels. There isn't much time before I must head back to Terram, so if you would like to follow me." She said, then noticing the peering, almost Chameleonic eyes of the gaunt Chancellor. "It would be wise of you all to make friends with Undyne as well; if you would join us." She said, looking back to the esteemed Judge. "That is, if you trust your Vice to take care of matters down here."


"I do. To an extent." He said, nodding slowly. "The next meeting is regarding road restructuring, so I cannot imagine our Vices would willfully do it wrong."


"Okay. Axel, Dayle, Lucy, Vitor..." she said, looking to the team. "If you would follow me."
 
"Of course." Axel said, waving his hand toward them and the others following him and Div as they exited the council room. It was a breath of fresh air being away from the ceremony now, as each of them were on their own separate highs after being awarded such a prestigious award it was nice to be leaving just as the arguments started flying. They had timed it perfectly, getting honored and go. The Gaius crew and the Chancellors were soon greeted to a breathtaking view of the tower as they began to ascend the stairs that spiraled around it. "Talk about a leg work out." Axel said dryly, causing Lucy to burst out into a hysterical laugh while the others didn't find it as amusing. They continued up until they reached a guarded elevator in which they boarded and began to ascend ridiculously fast.


Floors passed by in a blur and soon they were greeted to one of the most amazing sights on the station. The elevator opened up to the open air and they could see almost the entire station from where they were. It was beautiful in its own right, housing millions while simply being a space station with an artificial sky and atmosphere. It was ironically similar to the Exodus, though Axel would never tell the others how much it reminded him of it. He looked out into the sea of buildings and seen where his children currently were at home, as hollow as he felt the only ones who had been able to bring a genuine smile to his face was Ayla and Ajax. Even though Axel had his suspicions that his son didn't respect him too much, as long as he had Ayla he'd be fine.


"Great causing a ruckus back there big guy. You got what you needed to say out to them and they couldn't say a word back." Lucy said still giggling about it all. "Man... I'm an agent now! That means I gotta grow a gigantic nutsack like your's Vitty. That way when a Chancellor mean mugs me I can-" She seen the look on Div's face and couldn't help but laugh. "All chancellors excluding you Div, I love you." She added, wanting to give her a hug but knew that there were some boundaries there. She looked over to Dayle and smiled widely, "I couldn't have done this without you. I love you too. And... You helped I guess, Axel." He shrugged and kept looking out the window, not really caring what she had to say at the moment as he was lost in his own little world. "Rude. Anyways... So this is Chancellor life huh? Awesome tower, get to argue all day... Immersible amounts of stress. If I wanted to cut off 20 years of my life span cause of all the work I'd do it personally. I can be a real loud mouth when it comes to getting my point across."


"You're loud when you're not getting your point across." Vitor said slyly, causing Lucy to playfully punch him only for her to hurt her own hand.


"Dick."
 
"It would be a moot point." Undyne said. For someone with such tall stature, it was almost as if he blended into the background rather well. Eerie eyes fell down on Lucy. "Humans generally don't live long enough to acquire the wisdom required to be a Chancellor. They don't win the popular vote, because of their 'Exodlite' image. And they often ... have a hard time adjusting to the stress." He said, answering the query as if it had been a question at all.


"How old'er you then, Chancellor?" Dayle asked. "Look pretty human to me."


Div spoke up, answering the pilot's question for him. "The Judge Chancellor is nearly my age." She said. "And as you know, I've been with the RCN for hundreds of years. His people are the Scepter; a humanic species whose evolution developed side-by-side along yours. They were spacefaring even before your people, amassing knowledge due to their long lifespans."


"Some say we don't die. Not until we are killed." Undyne said, a slight smile playing to his lips. "That's a troubling song, though... yes, our ages are troubling to our fellow Chancellors. But it amuses us."


The team came to a stop, in front of a massive window. Where they were, the simulated atmosphere thinned out, showing the metallic, shielded top of the habilitation station. Beyond that was space. It was strange, thinking that it was so close under the protection of the massive, almost Terranian starship. Dayle approached the window, and it seemed as if they had reached their destination. Her hand came up to greet it as she stared out in amazement. "Holy cow, that's a hell of a view." She said, drawing the gaze of the young Lucy and Vitor, the latter of which had no idea he would see such a thing in his life. She drew backwards again, until the back of her leg bumped the lounging area intended for guests. "Man, I bet y'all thought you'd never be here." She said, looking to the two of them.


Seeing the opportunity, as Axel had hung back, not particularly amused with the sight, Div approached him. She gestured off to the side, and he was smart enough to read it and follow. It was met with a curious glance from Undyne, who instead chose to quietly join up with the more fascinated crewmembers.


"Axel..." She said, once she had gotten him alone. "I am recognizing the look on your face. How are you really feeling?" She asked.


"It is amazing." Undyne said. "It is one of my favorite spots. It also has a built-in viewport that allows one to monitor the events of each district in view." He said, prodding at the window until the city divided divided itself into highlighted sections in their view.


"Wow, even the views can't be views with y'all." Dayle remarked.
 
"Not good. Terrible, if you want me to be honest." Axel replied honestly to her surprise. "Knew you'd pick up on it right away, you helped train me on showing something different on the outside. You know the ticks, the clues... To be honest Div, I don't think I've ever felt this sort of... rage before. It's hard to describe." He said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "When you pinned those medals on me do you wanna know what I felt?" His expression became grim as he spoke. "Nothing. Not happiness, no adrenaline for being commended. I didn't even feel happy for Lucy when she was promoted when I KNOW I love that girl. All those people in that room I'd give my life for and yet... I don't feel a fucking thing Div."


The intensity in the room was high right away, Axel finally speaking to someone how he had truly felt lately. It was heartbreaking to hear, especially coming from him.


"The only things I feel is anger and hate. Anger towards the Exodlites for taking so much from me and my people... Hate towards that fucking traitor Casar. After we gave a planet killer a chance at being something more he nearly kills those I love and has his fucking robot rip my legs off. I'm a walking, talking fucking torso Div. When we talk about humanity I can barely include myself in that group as I'm more machine than man. I'm in pain every day, my augmentations are taking longer to adapt to my body. My own daughter doesn't know me and my son hates me." The more he spoke the angrier he got, "To top it off I'm playing nice with Nephilim and actually agreeing with that fucking snake now. He's letting me off the rails and I'm taking every inch I can get, the more Exodlites I kill the better I feel." He let out a long sigh, a lot of tension attempting to released only to stay dormant. "What's wrong with me Div?..." He asked, not sure what exactly else to say. "I haven't felt normal even before you assigned me to the Gaius but now... Now I'm feeling more lost than ever before."

...


"It's pretty cool!" Lucy observed, walking up to the viewport. "I mean, I miss the cool view but at the same time this thing looks super handy. I can see why this is one of your favorite spots Chancellor. What else do you do here?" She asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. "I've... only actually met two chancellors and that's Div and Nephilim. And... I want to see what makes it so stressful that a human couldn't handle it." She said, smirking mischievously. Part of her wanted to prove the Chancellor wrong, looking to get into a friendly debate.


"Here we go..." Vitor said with a chuckle, walking out of the elevator to have more room to stand. "Those medals look good on you Dayle. Elite Pilot? Truer words have never been spoken before." He said, complimenting the pilot. "I've never seen you turn that shade of red before however. Usually in a stressful situation you're calm and cool. Do you not like the attention of old people in robes?" He smirked, "No offense of course, Chancellor."
 
Div breathed in deep, looking on Axel with a measured amount of sorrow. It was as she had thought; she'd felt the same thing before, but was able to come back from it solely by getting away from it. But he didn't have that choice, and even if he did, she knew he wouldn't take it. "Axel... I'm sorry..." She said, her hand balling up into a fist. "You're... desensitized. So many bad things have happened to you. But you've brought so much good. I'm... afraid that I've pushed you too far. You need to spend time away from all of this, Captain. With your family. Even then... you've seen things and done things in the name of the RCN that no one should have to see or do. The reason why we fight against them ... is much darker than I wish it was."


She looked to him, monitoring his expression. Wondering.


"But you won't stop. I know you. Not apart from a governmental order, you won't." She said. "It's my fault that you feel this way now. I don't have an answer to how you can fix it. You must keep yourself from pursuing the desire to take your anger out on the Exodlites ... and C-2341. If you do, you make yourself into a weapon. Like them. Like the Exodlites. Not like a Captain." She said. "Do you understand? I... I have no place to tell you to stop here, and I won't order it either. But you must not go past your breaking point, if you haven't already."


...


"What makes it so stressful?" Undyne echoed. "...The entirety of the lives within the RCN in your hands. Nay, the Universe. Those even beyond us; the neutral planets. Gertero, Raleigh-X. Borthux. As the only organization that actively acts to stop the Exodlites... the all-consuming, blood-hungry zealots that wish to control everything... well, human bodies are very resilient, physically." His eyes honed down on Lucy, as if staring down into her soil. "Mentally, however... you are weak. Easily controlled, or... you lose yourself. A simple death can send you into turmoil, for the entirety of your life. Let alone ... trillions, quadrillions."


He paced forwards out of the elevator, joining the remaining crewmembers near the lounge-esque area in front of the sprawling window.


"Your lifespans, as well. They're very short." He said, with a nod. "That isn't to say it isn't possible, of course. It has happened. For very short amounts of time."


"Why thank you, Vitor. It don't look too bad on you, either. Gold ain't too bad a color on ya. And the way you shut them Chancellors up - if only for a moment - was pretty nice." She said, approaching the window. "You ever not been a part of the RCN or the Exodlites? Explore the Universe 'fore you joined up?"
 
"If I had a breaking point I'd have already reached it. As bad as I feel Div the more I realize how resilient I am." After listening to her careful he let out a long sigh, speaking even just a little about this was helping him decompress a little. "My priorities lie with my team and my family. I wouldn't put them in too deep of water without knowing I could get them back out. But..." He frowned, "I'm going to need a lot of blood. A lot of outlets for this aggression or it'll come out on them, on my family... My body hardly feels like my own anymore so sticking to what I do best is keeping me grounded some. Just as long as the crew sticks around and my kids are alright I should be fine. Maybe a little grumpier than usual but I'll manage."


He looked over at Div and felt a connection to her he didn't have with the others. She always knew how to comfort her agents as she knew how deep the job went and they had many of these talks time and time again, this time however Axel didn't seem to be as accepting of the knowledge. It felt like it was something that he would have to work out on his own, for better or worse.


"My breaking point was when Ava died." He confessed. "You remember those talks we had after those bastards killed her. I'm not fully healed from that even years later. I think I'm still carrying her on my shoulders and I've been thinking about her more lately. Little Ayla looks just like her and it's tearing my heart out..." To her surprise he let out a chuckle, "Can't lose that, an artificial heart and I might live to see 400 years. Wouldn't want that." He grumbled. "That and that damn android took the only thing I had left of her other than my kids. No telling what happened to my hat." He sighed, "I'll be okay Div. One way or another I'll survive. Just as long as I got my Chancellor to bring me back time and time again I'll be alright... And as long as that Chancellor is you and not Nephilim."


...


"Perhaps the human's short lifespan would actually be beneficial to the council. If you look back at older governments, having the same people in power for too long lead to chaos and slowed progress. Old arguments would arise that never find a resolution and the same chancellors will not budge because of personal vendettas." Lucy's words were surprisingly intelligent, picking up on some of the chancellor's patterns just from the award ceremony. "Humans acquire a vast amount of knowledge quickly and while we live fast and hard, that could be beneficial to the council. Different opinions, different ideas, circulated into the pool of what the others think could really shake things up. As for a single death sending you into turmoil for your whole life... Well, you learn quicker that way Chancellor. Death is a very motivating thing ironically. If you live so long that you begin to forget the pain of losing people you love then why would you care about losing people you don't know? As for being able to be controlled... Well... Anyone can be controlled chancellor."


It was fascinating where this was coming from, a simple outer rim girl with such knowledge it was actually staggering. Lucy smiled as she seen the Chancellor thinking on what she had said.


"A very short period of time with a capable human is more than what most chancellors could do. We have the trouble of a lot of our population belonging to a massive cult but... every race has its flaws. Every race can be manipulated and I don't think one race is more superior than the others." She smiled brightly at him. "Just different."


"Never." Vitor confessed to Dayle, walking up next to her whilst Lucy and Chancellor Undyne had a rather intriguing conversation all on their own now. "I was actually saved by an RCN crew. I've never told this story to anyone in years but basically I was outnumbered, outgunned and the Exodlites I was stationed with retreated. They left me to die because that's what Crusaders do, they're expendable and never submit. So, with no backup I was taken on by a few RCN squads until one hit me in the right spot on my temple and I went down." He said, pointing to his skull. "I was taken in and when I awoke the voices had stopped and the religious brainwash was no longer there. I was confused, scared and just wanting to be left alone. The Coalition put me through tests upon tests, I complied with all of them grateful that they had freed me from that prison."


He leaned against the wall and looked out the window with her. "Spent almost a year being cleared by them. I'm the only Crusader to have ever defected, to ever be freed from my chip's control. Removing it would kill me, but, with the extensive testing they did it is totally dormant thankfully and I am a free man. The only two lives I've ever known is the Exodlites and the RCN." He smiled at her, "I don't think I have to tell you which is better. Never got to explore, never got to chase space women or save people stranded on ships. All I've ever known is duty and that's fine but... I'm getting old. One day I wish to retire and learn what it means to be free from duty all together. Become a farmer or something quiet." He smiled, "How was your adventuring days? I bet you had a wild streak."
 
"Yeah, actually. I adventured quite a bit. Was born on Hortense, which was as close as you could get t'bein' a high class planet. Parents put me through piloting school, 'cause they wanted me to fly space cruisers. Those're... Like cruise ships, just luxury rides for people who were rich enough to buy 'em. Nothing meaningful, you know? I took the knowledge I learned there n'put it toward... well, nothing really good." Dayle said, laughing. "Became a," she looked off behind her, to Chancellor Undyne, who was preoccupied with talking to Lucy. "Gunrunner. For a little while. Met my old crew there. We saw crazy shit, runnin' together. Glitterworlds, revolutions, wild west rimworlds ... whatever. Never stayed too long, and I'm sure I got bounties still from them days."


Looking to Vitor, her mouth scrunched up. She reached out, placing her hand on his shoulder while her augment was tucked in her lap. "For what it's worth... I'm sorry. But I'm glad that the RCN got you rather than someone else. Or worse. Killed you. Whenever you retire, let me know. I ain't got Crusader blood in me, so you'll outrun me on that one. Farms ain't too bad. Maybe Lucy can hook us up. We can make her take care of us, 'stead of getting sent to the RCN nursing home." She said, laughing solemnly. "Ain't nobody ever gonna be able to fix what they did to you, but the sights on them rimworlds ... make it easier, for sure. Nice imagining what that'd look like. Crackshot though."


A smile came to Undyne's lips, once again. "A government that succeeds should not have a concern with 'keeping it fresh'. Wisdom... Wisdom with age. There comes a point in aging where you pass from stubbornness to realization. I believe some of the Chancellors have not passed it yet, but we all do have the wisdom in common. The long-lived have the advantage of... not only putting policies into effect, but truly seeing how they effect others. As for forgetting the pain... well, that's necessary, isn't it? To make objective decisions. A Chancellor cannot be swayed by emotional charges, as... difficult to you as that may sound."


He nodded. "And of course, that isn't to say that other races are superior. Just differently abled. I would not send a male Crux to the front lines of a war, but I would send him to negotiations. Just as we would send your crew to fight a space station, or a Terremian to lead a charge. But the Council... It simply isn't much of a place for your kind."


...


"You must not lose yourself, Axel. Blood... Blood is for sacrifices. Martyrs. Weapons. If blood is the only thing that sates you... well, you must find something else. Live a few weeks away from all of this, and see if the feeling returns. It will never come back to your arms, or your legs, or your eye... but it could come back to you. Don't immerse yourself so deeply in it that you aren't recognizable." Div said, looking with concern to the pilot she had pushed too far. Too far, with Casar, with Nephilim, with the missions.


"I want you to try practicing restraint. Put your energy and your effort into that. Talk. Talk to your teammates as you have done to me. I might not be here for much longer..."


She breathed in and out, deliberating. There was something laissez-faire about the way she talked to Axel as opposed to the rest of them. As if he had been a confidant.


"There... is something wrong. I ... I feel it. With the Universe, or... with the RCN. I was never able to know exactly why I would feel this way, but I've learned to trust it. What I'm talking about is... something is going to change, Axel. Their forces grow stronger with every day that passes. I can't tell you where it comes from, but there is an unease on Terram that I am afraid of. It is a feeling I haven't felt in at least a century. I want you to be ready for it; whatever happens. Remain steadfast. I know you can. Remember yourself, Captain."
 
"You want to retire with me Dayle? You'd have to buy me dinner first before I consider that, that's a long commitment." He teased, causing her to retract her hand from his shoulder rather fast as they shared a laugh. "I like you Dayle. You talk straight to people and don't hide who you are to anyone... Well, other than the bounty hunters of course. Maybe we should get Lucy to take care of us, we've done plenty of that for her and practically raised her up to be a smart, strong woman. Look at her." They both glanced over to her talking Undyne's ear off but surprisingly holding his attention sincerely. "Not many young women could hold the attention of a chancellor like that. Maybe... She's too good to take care of us. That these people need a woman like Luce, maybe..." He smirked, "We'll make that RCN retirement home our bitch." It was rare to hear Vitor curse like that, his words tickling Dayle's ears as he said it.


"Still, I disagree and you didn't understand what I was getting at. You don't have to live for hundreds of years to see how a bill will effect the population or how 'fixing roads' will go within 70 years. Nations and governments are living, breathing things filled with countless people and tens of thousands of places. Making an adjustment to see the result 90 years from now isn't ideal. You have to take in account that these people need change now. I might be an idealist but a lot more could be accomplished if the Council was willing to be flexible and try new, exciting things. The way I see it, we're headed down a dark path where too many disagree and not enough compromises are being made. This bad outlook towards humans is blatant space racism, not saying you are of course but it's undeniable in the others."


Lucy smiled, "A government that is succeeding needs to continue to succeed to succeed. One way will never work for anyone forever. And being the way we are protecting even the nations that don't want our help puts a lot of work on our shoulders, meaning that the same people that are in those chancellor seats for hundreds of years at a time no matter what race should not stay there. They should be re-elected and have to work for that position again, as I see it Chancellors who are elected are there until they are impeached or retire. And! The Vice Chancellors should not maintain a permanent role when the main Chancellor is impeached, retired or worse either. That fast tracks the wrong people to the wrong positions I think." Lucy's knowledge was astonishing, it was as if she was a sponge and picked up on all sorts of political ideas and failures. Her opinion was educated and way past the mind of a 19 year old girl, especially for a farmer. She smiled at Undyne, "Not enough people care about this sort of thing. I spend a lot of my time reading about foreign nations that I'll never get to see and there's always some patterns in their down fall. Every nation even today has those patterns, I just hope we all are smart enough to avoid it."


...


"I will, Div..." He replied quietly, not knowing the weight of his words to her nor knowing if he was going to be able to be true to them. "There is something wrong out there though. They continue to grow and gain strength while we're fighting ourselves in council rooms, our resources not being put forward properly. More successful missions like the one I lead are possible, we need to stop being on the defensive. Guerrilla fighting... Just to keep them back. We need to distract them and slow them down otherwise we are NOT big enough to stop them." Axel frowned at her, "I know you don't want me to lose myself... But we need men like me. At least for the time being. If we are going to ever stop them we need to double down, fight back. If your feeling is true, then it may have something to do with Terram coming up. A lot of bad things are going to happen there, to all of us... We just gotta fight harder than we ever have and show them who they're fucking with." He sighed, "When the attack happens you should be ready to flee, Chancellor. You're one of the few good hearted people we have left on that damn council. Without you, this whole thing crumbles. Let's hope that feeling isn't for you in particular..." Axel looked incredibly sad saying this, speaking in almost a low whisper, "We can't lose you... You're too important."
 
The Judge Chancellor was getting more and more amused as time went on, his smirk developing into a full-blown smile at the young girl's steadfastness. "It's... nothing personal. But... perhaps you're right. We've been living on a centurion's idea of government... but, as it turns out, our enemies are not. While I do not personally agree that the Chancellors must be rotated so often, it may be of importance that we do act faster. You should get into diplomatic training, young agent. While it may not be ever in your future that an election might happen, we also employ countless unspoken advisors to help our decisions. I could see you being a very influential person in our society, given your... youthful opinions."


"You know, one day I'm gonna take you up on that dinner we been talkin' about." Dayle looked to the Chancellor, who almost seemed... was it overwhelmed? She burst out into laughter, an action which had caught both the enveloped debaters' attentions. "That poor Chancellor..." She said. "In all seriousness, if we do get to the age where we're needin' farms or retirement homes, well... I'd like to catch up with my family. Got a brother, Dan - not sure what in the hell he's up to nowadays. Past that, my ma and pop're gonna be gone. I'd like you to meet 'em, all of ya. Maybe vouch for the fact I haven't been gunrunnin', 'cause my daddy and ma don't believe me when I tell em I'm running Renegade now."


...


"The Council... there are good hearts, there." Div said. "Judge Chancellor Undyne is cold. But if anything happens to me, he is the next best person to look to. Don't be too devoted to Nephilim, as well. His eyes are set on improving the RCN... but he doesn't care for the morality of it all. The bloodshed. Do what he says when I am gone, but... keep in mind what he is." She said.


Suddenly, blue light filled the tower. On the massive window, the words 'URGENT NEWS' filled the screen. It caught all of their attentions; Div, Undyne, Lucy, Dayle, Vitor, and Axel. Suddenly, they found themselves congregating together in anticipation of what had been happening. Likewise, across the station, alerts had been going off to alert the Renegades to what was undoubtedly an important event.


"Nisela has been destroyed." A regulated, androidic voice came. "A water planet on the edges of the Hasidia nebula has been irrevocably heat-nuked by the Imperial Exodon Army, lead by the Emperor Damaris. This planet is Nisela, home to Aqui, Calivari, Neemids, amongst hundreds of other sentient species. Nisela, a neutral planet teeming with life, has been irrevocably destroyed."


Silence filled the room as they listened to the further details. The message repeated itself, with not much information having been given immediately. Then, the elevator in the tower activated, giving way to Vice Chancellor Nephilim, who looked grim.


"Emergency meeting." He said. "Ifrit, it's pertinent that we compose a message to the media as soon as we get all of the information. The agent who relayed the initial news is en route to here ... now."
 
"Don't degrade my opinions as calling them youthful, Chancellor. If anything, these opinions are from absorbing information and my surroundings like a sponge. If anything, they're informed opinions." She said with a wink, unknowingly making a new friend in the Chancellor as their conversation although quite back and forth it was a pleasant one at that from two unexpected people. "I would like to help, at least... give my 'youthful informed opinions' to you or perhaps Chancellor Div. I don't know any other chancellors I'd want to speak with regularly." That was a compliment to Undyne and an insult to Nephilim, not that he would care. As they continued to speak for the time she noticed Dayle and Vitor hitting it off rather well, she smirked at Dayle, wanting to see where that went.


"We may have to do that dinner. While we're young and beautiful of course, I wouldn't want to wait too long on it before all my hair is white. Missed opportunities and all that." He replied in a rather flirtatious manner, "When we get the chance we should visit them. We are due for a shore leave period of paid vacation, we've completed the required amount of missions. Time off could do us all some good. Maybe then we coul-" Vitor was interrupted by the devastating news that was broadcast all over the station. As the congregated together and received word Axel looked as if he was about to break something while the others mourned the fallen planet.


"Another planet... Hundreds of species... Billions of lives..." He growled, his metal hands clenching so hard they were beginning to creak. "And here we are getting a fucking tour of the tower when we could have been doing something about it."


"Axel, there was nothing anyone could do. None of our people were in that area." Vitor spoke out, surprised by the captain's ruthless anger.


"That is not an excuse!" He barked back, "We should be on top of things, tracking their every movement. A Harvester's beam can't penetrate a water planet's core quickly. They had to move hundreds of ships to blow this Nisela up. We missed that much traffic? It's bullshit and inexcusable." Axel turned to Nephilim who entered the room and listened to what he had to say. "We need that agent here now. The sooner they get here the sooner we can track the Exodlites movements and bring the fight to them. Or, at the very least, take a few of them out to know those poor people didn't die in vain."


Suddenly Axel's communicator was ringing. He looked to see who it was and was surprised to see it was Fetch calling, the Captain of the ship Yeller. Axel held out his hand and a hologram of Fetch appeared from a holo-broadcaster in Axel's palm.


"Fetch... Is everything alright?"


"We fucking found them." Fetch said, his words fast and frantic. "We just got word of Nisela being destroyed and we were in the area after losing C-2341 and that damn murder bot on Curretch. They have a doctor now and get this... you remember that mercenary Jagar? They somehow got him to join them after Jagar nearly killed them."


"I had heard... Can't trust a merc, Fetch." Axel replied, his curiosity growing. "Where are they? Go on."


"You ain't gonna believe this... But C-2341 was on Nisela when it was destroyed."


"2 for 2... I'm not fucking surprised."


"Shit, me neither! There were reports on the planet of a strange group of people landing in a rusted ship. They were... getting drunk and having the time of their life. Then, they all disappeared with this woman named Nyx, a local treasure hunter and bartender. Really hot." He added, not knowing he was talking in front of a whole room. "Reports say that this Nyx woman broadcast out a distress signal and an escape call to the planet. Her actions saved millions but... Billions more died on the planet. We're actually sitting outside the husk of the planet now. Tons of Exodlites are still around so we're keeping a low profile. We're going to continue to track C-2341 and his new group for as long as it takes us. We're following the radiation from a ship that entered FTL and left in a different direction than the others so we should be on the right track. Y'all should join us, we could really use the backup."


"We're in. I need to get approval from the Chancellors first but as soon as we can head that way Dayle will pull her magic and we'll be there in record time. Fetch... Thanks for contacting me first, that means a lot. Winger out." Axel closed his palms and everyone around had stopped to listen to the conversation being it containing important information to what just happened. "We can tell the media we're dispatching teams on a lead. C-2341 and his... people would know exactly what happened." Axel suggested, "Otherwise we need to tail the Exodlites. That's way out of the way from the Exodus, they had to go out there for a reason."
 
"Of course that little bastard wouldn't just die on Nisela... That'd be too easy." Dayle said, huffing. Her eyes fell on Vitor, with remorse. It seemed that they would never get the chance to do much, apart from a few days off here and there after a huge mission. They had just been honored, but that didn't meant that they all weren't tools in the grand scheme of things. And tools got to work when something needed fixed.


"We did not have Intelligence of this attack, and if they were mobilizing from the Exodus we would not have known. The radius at which the planet-ship keeps a distance is too grand for Renegade spies to intercept transmissions, and even then, their encryption is constantly changing. It would be of use to receive C-2341 back, even if only for his ability to decrypt, or to reverse-engineer his telecommunication augment. There are very few escaped Exodlites, no less ones with technology, so to get him back would be important." Div said, theorizing.


"I doubt the escaped prisoner had anything to do with the attack itself, if the person he was travelling with sent out a distress call for the natives to escape... Unless they were not on good terms, by the end, but we shall see." Undyne said, adding. "Having a force mobilize immediately is going to be something that I'm sure the Council shall agree on, so feel free to join us below."


They all re-entered the elevator, intent on joining the Chancellors again on the lower floor. Only this time, tensions were high and spirits were low. It would happen that a planet happen to be destroyed after what was a good moment. The elevator ride down, despite being swathed in beautiful image of the RCN-1, was somber and mostly silent, with the weight of what had just occurred fully seeping into everyone's minds. Slowly, the elevator jaunted to a stop. Then, they were allowed passage back into the chambers, where the ever-stressed Chancellors had been waiting for everyone to reassemble again.


"It is fortunate that we had this meeting today, anyhow. It would be impossible for advanced action to be taken without everyone already having been assembled in the Council." Div said. She disengaged from the Gaius crew, as well as Nephilim and Undyne, to take their appropriate seats at the grand chairs that had wrapped around the half-circle-esque desk at the front of the room. The Gaius crew, once again, joined up together at the presenting spot. Chancellor Ifrit'a'Div stood from her seat nearly as soon as she had joined to it, addressing the pertinent issue of the room immediately.


"Nisela has been attacked by the Exodlites," she started. "It has been destroyed. My team - the Gaius - is willing to mobilize immediately to follow the report - along with Yeller - that a former escaped Exodlite was seen in the immediate area and was on-planet when it was being seiged. It is likely that they escaped, with an accomplice having broadcasted a distress signal after the siege had progressed to oceanic destruction. They may have to be apprehended in neutral territory, given no RCN presence. Shall the Council vote to send them with full permissions, regardless of the neutral status of the apprehending territory?"


"You have my full support." Chancellor Undyne said, hand raising. "Though I believe it would not be wise to send them alone, given the result of the last time. Yeller is going as well; this is true. I offer up one of my Elite crews; the Reformata."
 
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"Thank you Chancellor Undyne." Axel spoke out, "C-2341 has gathered a small group of outlaws that no doubt threaten those neutral systems. Whether the Exodlites followed the former Exodlite there or not or if he had something to do with the destruction of Nisela we have to investigate. Our goal is to bring him in alive..." He paused on those words, thinking to himself that there was absolutely no way that was going to happen no matter what he said. "...but lethal force needs to be authorized. I lost my legs recently to one of his android accomplices and they are extremely dangerous. My team will work hard to reacquire the prisoner as we have some unfinished business with them. With the help of Yeller and the Reformata we will succeed." Axel paused, "Say yes."


The Chancellors began to deliberate among themselves, Chancellors Div, Undyne and Nephilim in particular strongly urging the others to go with this course of action. Soon Brok was also speaking in support and it was like a tidal wave of votes. Even the Chancellors that were against sending in teams against the Exodlites regularly knew the stakes with a planet just being destroyed and finally there was a unanimous yes that rang throughout the council room.


"The Reformata and Gaius will be sent our best equipment and supplies for this mission." Brok said, speaking out into the room. "I've already approved the transfer. Dock hands are delivering the supplies now to your ships and... It looks like the vote is unanimous. You and your teams have a long way to travel so any further briefings will be done from your ships. Good luck Gaius team, bring that bastard back into custody and find out what happened at Nisela."


"Thank you sir. We'll be back before you know it." With little to no ceremony for this, Axel turned to the exit and began to run. The others weren't surprised, they were on the hunt now. They were very far behind and had barely just enough time to catch up. The others raced after Axel who tore through the Council Tower, surprising the guards outside at the sudden explosion from the Council Room. Vitor fell behind them as not to run over them but the sight of four people racing through the tower was practically unheard of. The van from before laid in waiting, dormant and with no one inside to escort them. "Everyone in the back!" They did as they were ordered while Axel slid into the driver's seat with Dayle in the passenger seat while Vitor and Lucy piled in the back. Without hesitation Axel activated the van's engines and took off from the landing pad, sending them hurling through the RCN-1's skies like a bat out of hell.


"Dayle, we're gonna need you at your best on this one. The Gaius is a damned good ship and you're the right pilot for the job. I'm gonna ask the impossible from you..." He said, his voice low. "You take a trip that would take days and cut it down to the shortest possible time without us springing a leak. Me and Lucy will go around making on the fly repairs if you can go THAT fast. This is important... And I know you can push that girl to the limits. Can you do that for me?" He asked, weaving in and out of traffic now as they were getting closer to the docking bay. "We can't let that little bastard slip away again... And..." He glanced over at her, "I have no intention of bringing him back here alive."
 
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