The fires all over Lance City has been put down. The fleet that once blocked out the sun has being returned to Jean’s watch. Warden and Purifier units patrolled across the streets. Most of the corpses have been removed. Their weapons and armors were stripped down while the bodies themselves were sent to the laboratory.
Next to a piece of log, two Wardens slowly wiped a pile of broke armor into a container.
That was all that was left of the Ancient One.
Six hours ago, after the Ancient One lost all will to fight and sent his blade digging into the ground, the rest of the Shieldbearers gave in as well. Most of them just dropped their weapons and collapsed on the ground, exhausted. A few men decided their belief stands: they would die before surrendering.
They got what they wanted in a wave of gunfire.
Shieldbearer survivors came out of the ruins of the city. Finally, when Jean assembled all the Shieldbearer prisoners to one place, she counted around one thousand survivors. Her Warden units started stripping them of their armors and searching for any weapons they might be hiding. The Shieldbearers didn't do anything. After the initial surrender, the rest became easy. Their will to fight and die has disappeared as soon as they let go of their blades. It was already over for them.
As the last armor was stripped down, Jean received a message from the G-1s she sent. The self destruction crystal was secured. The crystal itself was disabled. Dozens of guards that didn't get the memo were executed. Jean didn't want to risk telling them the Ancient One’s decision and having them commit suicide and blow the crystal.
That was enough for her to suddenly take a few steps back and get out of the way...of the Warden guns.
There was no warning. There was no snarky comment from Jean Turner. She was way above that. One moment she was standing next to the Ancient One, reassuring him that the Shieldbearers would have a bright future in the new world under the Voyagers. The next moment, she was nowhere to be seen, and all the Wardens were firing.
With their spirit lost, the Shieldbearers didn't realize that the movement of the Wardens was a little odd. Striders slowly went into firing position. Their guns were covertly aimed at the Shieldbearers. F-1s patrolled in the air, but their heads were slightly lowered, facing the ground.
Everything was setting up for a slaughter.
What came next was the very definition of an efficient mass execution. Countless cannons, guns, and missiles ravaged through the rest of the unarmed, unarmored, and unprepared Shieldbearers.
Ten seconds later, the shooting stopped. It was mopping time.
Jean convinced the Shieldbearers to surrender by promising them a future, but that was a lie down to the very foundation. The Voyagers were sent to destroy this world, not enslave it. In the end, every individual on this planet, Shieldbearer or not, must die. Rather than having the Shieldbearers realize that and potentially raise the banners again, Jean just decided to silence them once and for all.
Plus, the Ancient One and the Shieldbearers were of limited value. There was no point to even convert them to Purifiers after she got the Runecrafters. Of course, the Ancient One himself was different, but converting a living corpse who she just took everything from into Purifier...she wasn’t that crazy.
To Jean, most of the Shieldbearers’ weapons, armors, and corpses were worth more than themselves. She didn't want the self-destruction sequence to wipe everything off the surface of the planet, but she didn't need the Shieldbearers to be alive to study the runes on their bodies.
Risks were greater than the reward, so Jean made the logical choice. Granted, it was against her promise, but...but her name was Jean Turner. She has betrayed those she didn't need countless times before. Anyone who might think she was a woman of her words was a fool.
Right now, as the battlefield was been cleansed, Jean examined her loots.
And it was quite a feast.
The Runecrafters Jean abducted had their conscious transferred into the Purifier network. Every piece of knowledge they possessed was stripped away and examined. Countless computing units took these newly found information into consideration as they calculated the most efficient way to implement them into Jean’s forces. Finally, Delta reported the gains to Jean.
“We have discovered a new way to integrate the runes. Before, we could only implement crystal energy into Warden and Purifier units because the crystal energies are the only source of energy stable enough. This is no longer the case.”
At her fortress in the Iron Hills, Jean had her technicians toy with combining runes with her machines. The idea was this: runes could grant the users certain qualities, such as additional strength, speed, or fortitude. Energy is needed to engrave and power to ruins. Before she tried red crystals, she first used energy sources such as electricity or protoss Khaydarin crystals. Unfortunately, all of those runes erupted into explosions. The conclusion was that these energy sources weren’t stable enough.
Red crystals were stable enough. They were used by Voyagers and Protectors as a currency. In fact, their energy could supplement with almost all categories. A necromancer could absorb it the same way a Druid could. Powering the Wardens and the Purifiers was a piece of cake. The problem was that red crystals were simply too precious for Jean at this stage. She needed them for almost everything: her gun, her blade, and her armor. Spending them on a handful of G-1s was different from using them to support entire fleets.
Thankfully, this was no longer a problem.
“These Shieldbearers have a way to purify energy and stabilize them before using them on runes. Simulations suggest this method has a 99% chance of success in converting our alternate sources of energy to rune energy. Physical testing is ready at your command.”
Shieldbearers engraved runes directly on their body. In most cases, it would be no different than murder. The disruptive rune energy would rip through the human skin and flesh in no time. Only with a method of purification could they have enough control on the energy to make that happen.
“Start the testing now.”
“Affirmative.” A silent order cruised through the datanet as Delta continued. “We have seized approximately 2000 sets of armors and 3000 sets of weapons. What should we do with them?”
“Can we extract the rune energy?”
“Yes.”
“Have the runes completely diagnosed and recorded. Keep one tenth of them in storage. For the rest, when the material test is successful, convert their energy to our units.”
“Affirmative.”
Jean remembered something.
“How many ballistas are intact?”
The power of the Shieldbearer ballistas still lingered in her heart. A handful of them almost suppressed entire fleets. Any one of them could pose a serious threat to her if they hit her. She really wanted them for her cruisers.
“3.”
That wasn’t enough to make a real difference, but it was enough to do some research on.
“Record the runes and see if we can duplicate them and add them to our ships.”
“Affirmative.”
Jean tapped her index finger on her forehead. Her sharp nails dug into her skin. She suddenly turned to Delta with a thought in mind.
“I need you to check on something…”
---
As Jean stabbed her latest victim and counted her loot as the victim’s body went cold, a secret meeting was going on.
Inside the Royal Palace of the Empire of the Sun, Adam quietly retreated into his room. He closed his eyes, searching every inch of ground around him carefully, making sure his privacy was insured. Finally, he tapped on his watch and issued a command.
His eyes were cold, kinda like Jean’s, but the only difference was that there was a hint of annoyance in them.
A hologram projector appeared in front of him. Floating in the air, it formed two projections.
In one of them, two women in black armor stood tall.
Violet and Cassandra.
“Why did you demand this meeting? You know the risk as much as I do. The more you take control, the more likely your alternate personality will sense something’s wrong.”
“I’m afraid that is the least of my concerns.” Adam didn't falter. He had no reason to fear Violet. They were on similar grounds. “There’s a problem. A Voyager knows about our plan and my true identity.”
“Let me guess.” Cassandra already knew it. “Jean Turner. Where is she now?”
“At Lance City. My money is on she has already done heavy damage to, if not wiped out, the Shieldbearers. You should’ve killed her when you had the chance back in the Empire of the Moon.”
Violet has shared her experience in the Empire of the Moon with Adam, the real Adam, as well as how Jean hinted she knew about their plan and blackmailed her. Violet decided to give in to Jean’s demands. It was a decision Adam didn't quite agree with.
“It’s not so easy. I feel her. I understand her. I know what she is capable of. She is not that easy to kill. If I made a move on her back there, even if I killed her, it would come with a heavy price.” Violet’s thoughts wandered a little. “It appears she is more of a problem than I thought.”
“You should’ve warned me!” Adam’s fury could barely be covered. The nonchalant tone of Violet only made matters worse. “I am the undercover spy in the heart of the enemy! If she exposes me, I will be cornered with no way out!”
“She wouldn’t expose you.” Violet replied quietly, not at all fazed by Adam’s outburst. “She might threaten to, but she won’t.”
“Why?”
“Because she wants the same thing we do. She wants our plan to succeed.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Like I said, I know her.” Violet’s eyes flickered. “In fact, some may even say we are of the same root. If our plan is successful and she lives until the end, she will gain a lot of power. This will be a risk she is willing to take. Anyways, how is your progress?”
“Don’t try to change the topic!” But Adam wasn’t giving in. As a Voyager, he had his share of pride. “We should eliminate her. I didn't agree to having another Voyager share the prize!”
“As I stated before, we can’t. She’s as sly as I am, if not more. At least I wouldn’t have been able to deduce our plan from scratch.”
“Then we should at least do something about her! We can’t just let someone with full knowledge of our plan run free!”
“What makes you think I haven’t done anything?” Almost to support Violet’s words, another figure appeared on the second hologram slot.
Adam frowned. He didn't know there was a fourth member in this conspiracy, aside from him, Cassandra, and Violet. This made him annoyed. He turned to the Voyager, who slowly unmasked himself.
“You...wait, who even are you?” Suddenly, Adam realized he didn't remember that Voyager’s name. How was that even possible? All the Voyagers introduced themselves when they first descended. He hasn’t been with the other Voyagers for most of the mission, but if he would forget a piece of information as important as this one, he would never have survived his first mission.
The Voyager tilted his head.
“My name is John.”
John. It was such an ordinary name. Aside from his armor, the man looked nothing like a Voyager either, but Adam quickly tossed that allusion aside. He might be a little slow sometimes, but he was far from stupid.
There was something really fishy about this John.
That was when Violet stepped in.
“I recruited John into our plan after I saw what he did to the former Emperor of the Empire of the Moon. He turned him into a puppet and the armies around the Emperor had not the slightest clue. He was able to turn the two Empires against each other without landing a single strike.”
Adam wasn’t convinced.
“I still don’t see how he can help us. The Emperor is dead, and Jean and her Voyagers have taken over the Empire of the Moon. Violet, you said it yourself.”
“Even Voyagers can be deceived, perhaps not by powers, but by words.” John smirked innocently. “Plus, Jean is not at Throne’s City. Her army of machines is not at Throne’s City. One of her Voyagers, one by the name of Demon, controls the city by sheer force and brutality. That is something I can use.”
“Proceed with it.” Violet finally made the decision. She slowly scanned all members of the conspiracy. “I don’t think I need to remind you, gentlemen, that our plan tips us against all the forces in this world, Voyagers and locals alike. If our intentions are exposed, we will be hunted down by everyone. To claim victory, we must make sure the forces of the Voyagers and the locals are balanced out.”
She glanced at John.
“If the Shieldbearers are gone from the equation, then the Voyagers’ side holds too much weight. Adjust the balance a bit. I want it done before Jean Turner returns.”
Violet knew Jean would be a tough foe. After all, they were incredibly similar. Neither of them could be angered or provoked or easily tricked or easily fooled. She has heard about how the huntsman spy, the one John brainwashed and deployed, was plucked out by Jean’s careful approach when Blink and Demon were tricked. If Jean was at Throne’s City, it was assured that there would be her eyes and ears everywhere. John would be at a great risk of getting caught, and Violet didn't want to lose an asset as useful as him just yet.
Whatever John wanted to do must be done before Jean returns from the Shieldbearers place.
“As for you,” She turned to Adam. “is the spell ready?”
“Yes.” Adam nodded slowly. “I would introduce it to the Empress as a gift from the Shieldbearers. It would be a lifejacket for a drowning man. She wouldn’t suspect a thing...especially not from the Voyager who turned against his people to fight for justice.”
Adam suddenly smirked coldly. “I will enjoy killing that self-righteous fool. She is really starting to annoy me.”
“Don’t let your overconfidence be our downfall, Adam. You can deal with the Empress however you like after we have won, but for now, you must be careful.”
Adam nodded at Violet’s warning. Suddenly, his eyes flickered.
“And what will our leader do?”
Both he and John had their jobs. It was only fair if Violet and Cassandra had theirs.
Violet suddenly grinned gently.
“There are still dozens of Voyagers across the empires. It’s time to bring them together again.”
“After all, the final battle is near.”
