"Welcome on board," A tall, lanky man in black-and-orange formalwear greeted the motley crew as Burt shoved them gleefully into another room against their will. "You must be tired after your long journey from Thanna."
"Yeah, we're also pretty tired from being dragged like meat sacks, stuffed into a vehicle and thrown into a detention room," Reiley snarked, unwilling to hide her displeasure.
"I apologise for that unpleasantness," A stocky woman with streaks of blue and grey in her hair offered with a smile. "Agent Lukyan has never been one for gentleness." Alyxia guessed that by 'Agent Lukyan', she was referring to Burt.
The woman's eyes travelled to Farron with a look of unmistakable disappointment, a look which Sylvie would have more than likely given him. Alyxia's heart hurt to think of Sylvie, and her prone body before they had to flee from Regis. "And Agent Lennox. We're glad to see you back in Ignis, though we admit that we wish you hadn't resorted to... drastic measures."
Farron nodded. "Thank you, Director Flint. Director Millette. It's good to be back." Alyxia's eyes darted to the desks near the far side of the wall, on which two name placards read 'Director Ryeland Millette' and 'Director Iolite Flint'.
The man, presumably Director Millette, smiled politely. "Well, we expect you to stay here for a long time. We've prepared barracks for you to stay in, right here in the base. If there's anything you need, simply give us a holler. But at the same time, you need to pull your own weight. "
"Understood," Reiley replied, meeting Director Flint's eyes firmly. "Now if it isn't too much trouble, I'd like to get started right away. Where can I get information on the defensive capabilities of Ignis, in event of an attack on the inside?"
"That would be with the weapons master," Director Millette suggested. Alyxia decided that the directors seemed nice enough, but she remembered that she needed to be on guard at all times. The second things went south, the people at Ignis could easily hurt her.
"Would you like a tour of the facility, Ms. Peyton?" Director Flint inquired, her grey eyes studying the young princess as if she was an interesting rock she wanted to harvest.
Alyxia shook her head firmly. In reality Alyxia wanted to find out documents which could help her find out whether Ignis had any ulterior motives. "No thank you, Director. I'll just...find my own way around and get myself acquainted."
Her stomach felt queasy at the thought of second-guessing her new allies, but she had to make sure that Ignis had no other plans with her like her family did in Thanna.
Family. She remembered that she still had her mother's diary tucked in her pocket. Save that for later, her conscience advised. You can do that at your own time. For now, we find the archives.
***
"Internal circular... notice...internal circular..." Alyxia mumbled as she perused the files which were stored in Ignis' holographic database, swiping through scores of boring documents in a bid to find something of value. "I can't find any links to archival documents!"
"That's because you're looking in the wrong place," An unfamiliar voice spoke out of the blue, in the secluded File Room of the Modea-Kol base. "Most of Ignis' old files are in the Regis HQ archives."
Alyxia spun around to find a person examining a newsfeed device casually, their straight black hair fanning over their eyes. They weren't clothed in the black-and-orange garb which the members of Ignis usually wore, but a combination of forest and hunter greens from shoulder to toe. The only thing which fell out of that colour scheme was the silver circlet which lay on their head, glinting in the firelight of the File Room.
Alyxia found herself subconsciously holding her breath as she gazed upon the mystery person, and then quickly let it go. "And how do you know this?" She queried, trying to sound casual as she leaned against the holographic board she had been cursing just a few seconds ago.
The person shrugged and directed their attention towards her. Alyxia squirmed under the intense gaze of their pine green eyes. "While Regis is the place where all the decisions are made," They finally answered, "Modea-Kol's where the real stuff happens. So this branch wouldn't have any need for stuffy old documents."
"Stuffy old documents?" Alyxia sniffed indignantly as she shut the board down and faced them. "I happen to think that those 'stuffy old documents' are really important."
"Never said they weren't," They replied smoothly. "We can learn a lot from history, princess."
Alyxia inwardly flinched, although outwardly she pursed her lips. As with the Alpha, the word seemed to be weaponised by their lips, an insult rather than a title of honour. "How do you know who I am?"
"Word travels quickly around here, and not just for purposes of efficient communication. At least that's what my father said when he used to ally with Ignis." They explained. "Ignis is willing to pull out all the stops if it means overthrowing Ash, even if it means discarding their founding principle. I don't know what to make of that."
"Well I think it's a move for the better," Alyxia countered, wondering what their story was. "Putting aside differences to achieve a common goal, no matter the cost. Don't you want Ash to go?"
"Whether it's Ash, you, or Ignis, my people will still suffer," The stranger bit, crossing their arms over their chest. "I have no reason to ally with any of you." They smirked at Alyxia, something flashing in their pine green eyes. "I bet you don't even know who I am."
Alyxia placed her hands on her hips in an attempt to show strength. "Who are you to doubt me?" She shot at them.
"I," They fired back, "am Rowan Everglade, leader of the Everglade clan and governor of the autonomous region of Kadé. Have you even heard of Kadé in your fancy palace up in Regis?"
"Of course I know what Kadé is!" Alyxia seethed, having half a mind to start a physical altercation with them. "How lowly do you think of me?"
Rowan was just about to fire a scathing response when an interruption came in the form of a scrawny young man with mousy brown hair, a scruffy beard and thick black glasses. As he burst into the File Room, he seemed deep in conversation with some person that Alyxia could not see.
"-Yes, I know that the Alpha wants the Akhlys ready, but it's still in the developmental stages and is too risky to be used in active combat!" He paused for a second, as if listening to someone speak on the other end. "For now we'll have to adjust with the weapons at our disposal, or maybe I could try devising some new device on short notice- heh, devising a device." He suddenly frowned and tapped his ear. "Hello? Hellooooooo?"
Alyxia exchanged a bewildered look with Rowan, who shrugged in response. It seemed that even Rowan, whoever they were, did not know who this strange character was. In an attempt to dispel the awkwardness, Alyxia cleared her throat. "It seems that the communications might have been disrupted," She offered, giving the man a half-smile.
"Hmm, that must be it," The man agreed, then his eyebrows shot up as if he had noticed Alyxia's existence for the first time. "Wait a tick, aren't you the princess? Oh my stars, I never thought I'd meet you in person!" He squealed, clapping his hands like a seal would have if they hadn't been extinct for 15 years.
"That's me," Alyxia acknowledged, strangely uncomfortable with the man's excitement. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rowan analysing both of them, but they said nothing. "I wouldn't have thought that members of Ignis would be very excited about meeting me."
"Granted, I always thought I would see you inside a body bag, but something's better than nothing," The man shrugged, and a chill ran down Alyxia's spine at his terrifying honesty. "But where are my manners?" He suddenly exclaimed, sharply clapping his hands once more. He surged forward and took Alyxia's hands in his. "My name's Stigler. Trebuchet Stigler. My parents were big military history fans. But you can call me Treb. Or Stigler, that's what most people call me anyways."
Alyxia gently extricated her hands from his grasp, reeling from the bombardment of information which she had just received. "It's nice to finally meet you, Stigler. I've heard a lot about you." She gulped down the obvious half-truth like a spoonful of bitter medicine, remembering how Burt had ranted about the unpleasantness of Stigler's company.
"You have? Splendid!" Stigler beamed, the bits of food stuck in his teeth on full display. "You know, I honestly wasn't expecting to find you here, but I'm glad I did. I was just having the most wonderful talk with your friend Reils."
Oh no, he's calling her Reils as well. She is going to be livid. "Is that so?" Alyxia replied, pretending to sound interested. In reality, Alyxia wanted to return to that conversation she was having with Rowan to figure out what exactly his deal was. "You must be the weapons master that Reiley had mentioned wanting to meet, then. You must be so busy, I'd rather not take up your precious time."
"Oh, it's no problem at all!" Stigler gushed, placing a hand on her shoulder. Alyxia quickly shot a look of thinly veiled panic at Rowan who simply crossed their arms, looking at the conversation with mild amusement. "I suppose if I have to brief Reils, I have to brief you as well."
Alyxia's eyes widened despite herself. This was precisely why Reiley as the one to manage information about this kind of stuff; Alyxia simply could not make head or tail of the intricacies of weapons. "Oh, I don't want to to bother you, you must be so tired from all of your hard work in the weapons department!"
"Nonsense!" Stigler dismissed. "You must come with me. If you're worried about wasting my time, we can do the briefing now and get it over with. Killing two birds with one stone, so to speak." He giggled at his own metaphor. "Not that I'd kill you of course, but I do find it interesting that exactly a year ago, we were developing weapons in a bid to besiege the palace and murder your father and yourself."
Alyxia nearly froze. "But desperate times call for desperate measures, right?" She choked out, giving Stigler a nervous smile. Stigler nodded emphatically in reply, and Alyxia had to restrain herself from physically shuddering. "Anyways, I'm glad that we're on the same side." Mainly because if you were the enemy, you'd probably kill me in a heartbeat while grinning like you've won a lottery.
"As am I, princess," He replied, with a small bow. "Now, we really must be on our way. There's so much that I must tell you!" Suddenly, his eyes fell on Rowan and his eyebrows shot up. "Ah, Governor Everglade, didn't notice you there! Would you like to join as well? You could learn more about our offensive capabilities before you join us."
Rowan waved their hand in dismissal. "No thank you, Stigler. I was just on my way back to Kadé; it seems like I have a big day of decision-making in front of me." Their green eyes met Alyxia's brown ones. "It was nice talking to you, princess. Maybe when we converse next time, it would be under better circumstances." Without another word, Rowan slipped soundlessly out of the File Room, leaving Alyxia stunned.
"Decision-making?" Alyxia wondered aloud as she started at the door out of which Rowan had just exited. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"The governor's in about the same position as you are," Stigler explained as he gestured for Alyxia to move forward, probably to the briefing room where Reiley would likely be. "Their father, ex-Governor Pine Everglade used to be one of Ignis' staunch allies until he struck a deal with your father to give Kadé autonomy under his monarchy."
"But I'm guessing with the rise of Ash, that autonomy is being threatened," Alyxia ventured as they strolled through the trademark grey hallways of the Ignis base. "So it would be in Rowan- I mean, Governor Everglade's best interest to join forces with Ignis to overthrow Ash and regain autonomy."
"That's what the Alpha says," Stigler replied, shrugging his shoulders. "But it doesn't seem like Governor Everglade is very eager to enter into an alliance, considering the independence movement that's been gaining steam in Kadé. So the Alpha recommended that they should observe one of our facilities for a day while they make a decision."
"Sound logic," Alyxia admitted as Stigler opened a nondescript grey door and gestured for her to enter. As soon as she got inside, she was left flabbergasted at the sheer amount of holograms and models of weaponry which decorated the poorly lit room. It was a weapon enthusiast's paradise, alright; it was clear to see that this was Stigler's home base.
She brushed her fingers over the diagram of something which was apparently a ballista, and peered at a life-size hologram of a bazooka of some sort. "I don't understand any of this but it all looks so cool," Alyxia breathed in awe.
"It gets cooler if you understand it," Reiley's voice echoed from some dark corner of the room. The young lieutenant stepped forward into the light, as did Farron who was examining some handheld weapon. A crossbow, Alyxia realised, marvelling at how naturally he seemed to handle it.
"This is what I call my Playground," Stigler announced as he did a 360-degree twirl. "Since I think best at night, I made this place dark on purpose. Directors Millette and Flint didn't like it much, but they agreed anyway."
"Why are there two directors anyway?" Reiley demanded as she grabbed a holo-rifle and tested it. Alyxia promptly moved out of the way, not wanting to risk getting shot by a holographic rifle.
"Politics," Stigler sighed. "For the sake of appeasing for the farming and mining communities, we decided that one Modean director and one Kollaer director would be the best solution to get things done. The directors have done a wonderful job of running this place, and keeping the peace in Modea-Kol, but the tension between the communities really gets to me, ya know? And with the current situation in Regis, things have gotten worse here."
"Just when I thought things couldn't get any better," Farron remarked as he shot a crossbow bolt into a target on the other side, an inch short of hitting the bull's-eye. Handy with a crossbow too, Alyxia registered in her mind.
A high-pitched, tinny sound suddenly rang out through the darkness, and Stigler jumped up in surprise. "A holo-call!" Stigler squealed. "I never get a holo-call! This is exciting!"
Alyxia and Reiley had just enough time to exchange concerned looks before the forms of Directors Millette and Flint emerged from the handheld holo-device. "Stigler, optimise the cloaking technology to cover the whole base. We're in a tight situation," Director Millette ordered, fidgeting with his hay-blond braid in what seemed to be muted worry.
"Is anything the matter?" Alyxia queried, her curiosity overtaking her sense of propriety. "Director Flint, are we in danger?"
"Not at the current moment," Director Flint answered, her mouth a thin red line. "But something has come up which could either be a cause for danger or an opportunity. The whole of Modea-Kol's in panic, and we need to get preparations under way."
"What's going on then?" Reiley demanded. "Has Ash issued some ill-prepared and ill-advised proclamation as she usually does?"
"Something like that," Director Millette admitted. "You see...she's planning on hosting a parade and rally in Modea-Kol four days from now."
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