Treason

Once the Commander and Roquefort overcame their shock, they began to argue on how to proceed with their assault. Talassar ignored them and paged through the documents on Invincible the HLA had acquired, trying to refresh his memory of the mighty vessel. Despite the bitter memories he held for the ship, the crooning core's longing was infecting his senses. [Be quiet. I hated that place.] The core continued its song of yearning and Talassar was forced to divert some of his energy to resist its influence.

There was little he didn't already know in the fragmented details and bored with the reports Talassar pulled over one of the tablets. He glanced up at the arguing men, but neither seemed to be concerned with his access to the information displayed on the device. [It's rare for anyone to ignore my presence. They're far too confident in the inhibitor.] With a shrug he studied the overlay of the conflict raging above them. The HLA was in full retreat, their troops melting into prepared escape routes and bunkers. Guardsmen were swarming into the city from the rest of the planet and a flotilla of ships was in formation over the Citadel. What little remained of the warships the rebels had co-opted left the system hours before. Despite their initial success, in space the conflict was a one-sided slaughter, HLA forces ripped apart without the ability to counterattack.

According to the satellite imagery, half the holy city was damaged in some way or the other. Most of the fighting had occurred around the Citadel and various Guard posts across the city. The HLA struck like lightning, taking control of key fortifications across the city and sealing the Hall of Favoured with enough firepower to bring down a battleship.

Talassar sighed at the images. There would be repercussions to this assault. Whether the HLA forces made it off Delphi wouldn't matter to the Synod. They would demand a show of force and Favoured would be deployed en masse to execute any dissidents. [It will be worse than the purges.]

["So much death."] Talassar flinched at the depressed sigh from the core.

[How do you know? You weren't there.]

["Sad Talassar. I can see through your eyes. So sad you were Talassar."]

Talassar concentrated and sensed the faint weave from the core, rifling through his memories like a bored child and he pulled on his Essence to block it.

[Stay where you belong]

["We share this body now Talassar."] The core cackled hysterically at the comment and its presence dwindled in a flash. Talassar shuddered as it vanished, a sense of loss overcoming him for a moment before he could shake it off and returned to staring at the tablet.

It didn't take long for the Commander to realise they lacked accurate information and turned to grill him, but Talassar just raised his hands and demanded they bring a proper team for planning the attack. "I have no idea how to plan something like this." He said honestly. "And maybe you do, but the one thing I've learned is that I won't repeat myself to all of your assistants, advisors and commanders."

Roquefort demanded he cooperate but Talassar refused to budge. They were aware he held the upper hand with his information, and while the Commander grumbled for a bit, he acquiesced and summoned some of his advisors. Not before vehemently ensuring he would hide everything about the Invincible's true nature. It seemed a pointless endeavour to Talassar. They would find out sooner or later, but he agreed. Roquefort hesitated, but eventually placed a recording device on the table and placated the irritated Commander by claiming it would only serve as evidence for his after action report.

Amongst the arriving advisors one of the HLA troops skulked through the door carrying an assortment of odd technology and Talassar's attention was immediately drawn to him. Wearing a worn coat, and a shielded visor, he looked like many of the teenagers Talassar saw crowding the gaming centres across the city. The weave Talassar had placed around himself only sensed pure concentration emanating from the young man. [I didn't expect to meet one of the Lost here.]

Most humans projected their emotions subconsciously onto other's Essences, a continuous ever-changing rainbow. It was why only powerful emotions could be sensed by even the strongest Psions, people just felt too many things. However, there were a few rare individuals who were so focused or dissociated from the world around them, their emotional spectrum was effectively solid. Talassar's old instructors had compared it to light: while a regular person projected visible light, one of the Lost would filter out everything but a single frequency. In a way, it made them more transparent to a Psion, but trained Lost agents could control their projected emotions and hide them just like a powerful Psion. Which made them exceedingly dangerous,

The Lost assembled a makeshift screen and handed Talassar a connected Tablet, beaming with satisfaction throughout the process. "Name's Stick, Favoured. Tell me if you need anything, sir." He whispered at Talassar's puzzled stare, darting a glance at the Commander while he snapped cables into place. Once he was done, he retreated to a chair in the corner and set up his own tablet.

"I believe everything's ready now Favoured. So if you would kindly explain." While Talassar was unable to feel the small man's emotions because of the Inhibitor, the sarcasm in his voice was enough of an indicator he was losing patience.

"There is a reason Delphi is considered the most Holy place for humanity amongst the innumerable stars in our galaxy." Talassar began, scratching at the binding on his temples then pinched his fingers to zoom in on the galactic map being cast on the screen behind him. He fumbled with the unfamiliar controls until he could bring up a view of a massive crater surrounded by an imposing ocean. "Sark's Folly. The birthplace of the Theocracy and the end of humanity's wandering amongst the stars."

"Spare us the mythology, dog." One of the troops sneered, his voice and emotions thick with loathing. Talassar blinked at the heavy set man and scanned the faces in the room. Only Sticks cringed at the interruption, most of the HLA apparently agreeing with the man.

[While I didn't expect a warm welcome, it seems most of the HLA think like M.]

"Sark's Folly is a crater 300 kilometres wide and 2 kilometres deep." Talassar continued, eyes on the Commander. "It's filled with pilgrims year round and protected by a squadron of Messengers crewing Guardian ships. It's basically the most dangerous place to attack in the Theocracy. Luckily the Invincible is about 500km underground and outside of the range of their teams." Talassar sketched a few caverns into the tablet, smirking at his terrible drawing. "Unfortunately, there are only three access points, two in the Holy city and one at Loquace. For those of you who don't know, Loquace is the functional headquarters for the Hall of Favoured and holds the highest concentration of Psions this side of the Ezani front. While I am unaware of your capabilities, entering through Loquace is impossible, despite whatever firepower you may have at your disposal." Talassar waited for the Commander's nod before continuing. "That leaves these two. One outside the Citadel beneath the Hall of Archons. It's actually attached to the Alpha section and must be accessed from the research laboratories. The final entrance is within the Citadel below the Assembly, behind the Lord Protector's offices. Each of the entrances is guarded by at least a squad of Acolytes supported by dozens of plasma turrets and their orders are kill on sight. If you don't overwhelm the defences or pass the authentication…" he shrugged. There was no need to explain the consequences.

"What sort of authentication is required?" Stick asked, voice trailing off as he became the focus of attention, hand wavering like a child regretting his decision to ask a question in class.

"I'll give you a list once I'm done with my… presentation." Talassar brought up a rough schematic of the Invincible's dockyard and highlighted several areas. "Whichever of the entrances you take, you'll arrive in the dock at the same location. This is the only way in or out but luckily the defences on within the dock are weaker. Regular teams of Guardsmen and Acolytes patrol the ship and facilities but it's been years since the project began and there hasn't been a single incident till date. Even by the time I joined the warships crew last year, the guards had become complacent and they won't be ready for an attack."

"Security must have been ramped up after the uprising. I doubt they'd leave sensitive facilities weakened at a time like this." Roquefort pointed out and many of the HLA troops grimaced at the thought. Talassar hesitated and cast a glance at the Commander, carefully picking his words. He could tell the truth but he'd agreed to be circumspect about Invincible's secrets.

"While I am unable to explain the details, the docks are a sealed environment and not under the direct control of the Guard or Favoured. They have strong reasons to trust in their defences and the isolation of the project is its greatest protection. My removal from the secure facilities is the anomaly. As far as I've been informed, except for the Lord Protector and Hierophant, there should be no one else aware of the project's location outside of the docks. All the crew and researchers are confined to the dock or ship." [And everyone else from the trial flight is dead.] He expanded the warships schematics once he was sure they wouldn't interrupt and drew a few lines to mark the docks. "The Invincible is suspended by a series of magnetic and psionic fields hovering in the centre of the cavern with a multi-tiered catwalk. If you make it to this point, then it becomes standard procedure for boarding. Breach the hull, control the hangars or get through the docking ports, it's your choice. Once you're inside, there are multiple targets." With a tap each of the targets was highlighted, often located somewhere other than the schematic indicated. Creating false plans was a simple subterfuge, but highly effective. "Six sub-light engine rooms, one for each power plant and engine. You have to control all of them to be able to generate enough power and get the thrusters underway. FTL drive chamber, without it you can't leave the system. Hangar decks, eight for support craft and fighters, two for auxiliary craft. Bridge, CIC, Auxiliary bridge, tertiary bridge. Three main armouries must be nullified so we don't find mechs stalking the ship but you can forget the weapons lockers. There's no way to stop the Guard from arming themselves. Oh. Server room obviously. With three of the ten server farms a decent cracker can bypass the electronic security system. With five you can stop all communications throughout the ship and with eight, well then you control the ships computers. That's about it. If you can gain control of at least the bridge and FTL drive chamber, I can transfer ownership of the vessel long enough for you to leave Delphi."

With a deep breath, Talassar plopped back into his seat, frowning at the clanking cuffs around his wrist. [These things chafe far too much.]

"I thought you didn't know how to plan an assault." The Commander's voice crackled through the speakers and broke the odd silence filling the basement.

"I just explained what you have to deal with. You can't call it a plan."

Roquefort coughed, uncertainty flickering in his emotions. "Well, I believe the Favoured has shown us a way. We have three aspects to consider. Penetrating the defences at the entrances, overwhelming the ships crew and leaving the planet."

Bobbing his head, the Commander faced his advisors and gestured at the screen. "I agree. So figure it out."

The advisors broke into small groups around their own tablets, muttering about available forces and timelines but Talassar slumped further into his chair and caressed his wrists as he considered his role in whatever strategy they mapped out. Occasionally one of the Advisors would raise a question or request details from him which he would provide willingly. Sticks came to him and Talassar transferred the list of security measures he knew onto his tablet. With the list in hand, the young man returned to his corner and sat silently oblivious to everything but his computer.

"It would take at least an hour to get to the docks based on the distance." Roquefort whispered from his side after a while and Talassar looked up at the confused Ironian, contemplating the man's glittering eyes. From the few fragments Talassar could make out, the HLA advisors were only arguing about the method of entry now, confident in their ability to deal with the ship itself.

"They've prepared some divine devices…" Talassar coughed at his explanation and squeezed his chest to suppress the giggling core. "I mean Guardian tech which can take us there in seconds."

"Astounding. I've never even heard of such a thing."

"I doubt the Seekers share more information with their client states than the Guardians do." The Commander shrugged and joined them.

"You don't want to help them Soveks?" Roquefort retrieved his recording device from the table and slid it into a pocket.

"There's not much I can offer until I hear their plans."

"Confident aren't you?"

"Even if I wasn't, after all that we've lost just to gain this opportunity, I would throw everything I have on Delphi to gain access to the Invincible."

"Good to know."

Talassar observed both men, surprised by the hidden undercurrents in their words. It reminded him of some of the most bitter rivals within the Assembly forced to work together in order to suppress some motion or the other. They sat in silence, listening to the rising argument amongst the Advisors. They'd split into three factions. The largest wanted to penetrate the Citadel and move their forces through the Lord Protector's offices. That entrance would be defended the lightest, since the offices were a public space, but the Citadel itself was in striking distance of multiple airfields and there were always rapid response teams at the ready.

The second faction wanted to break through the research labs of Alpha section. Deep within the Hall of Archons Niobys' old facility was surrounded by heavier defences but even if they failed, destroying the lab would be a worthy achievement.

The smallest and most vocal faction wanted to bomb Loquace to ashes using fleet assets around Delphi and then make for the warship. Hours into the rebellion, Guard warships were recovering and moving to protect the Holy city so any ships would be easily intercepted.

The leaders of each faction argued their case to Commander Soveks, trailing off when they were met with his indifferent stare. "Your proposals have merit, but I would like to hear from our... new ally. What do you think we should do Favoured?"

Talassar grimaced, displeased with the sudden hostility he faced as the HLA troops glared at him. Nonetheless he answered. Hoping for the HLA to succeed on their own was setting himself up for disaster. "I would go through the labs."

"Why?"

He raised his arms, palms upwards and summoned Niobys' last gift. A purple flower of psionic energy materialised between his hands, spinning erratically. "Because I have a key."

[Now it's treason. Is that what you expected when you gave me this 'gift' old friend?]