Chapter 60

　　With Samuel`s words` providing him with a sense of security, Kal left the Command Center, propelling himself along the corridor to the storage hold by pushing himself against the wall.

　　Crew members scrambled around him, some trying to conduct repairs, others to coordinate their defence, while a few Kal was sure were panicking, fearful of death.

　　Bursting out of the corridor, Kal looked around the Starship`s empty storage hold. It was strange to see it so empty, capable of containing two hundred Mechs, their supplies, and the equipment for repairs and servicing. He usually couldn`t spy the far walls through the clutter of people, equipment and material, but nothing escaped his sight with that obstruction out of the way.

　　Pulling up to a storage rack on the wall, Kal donned a Pilot bodysuit, black and red in the style of his House Guard. Quickly sealing the helmet into place, he knew he was short on time. Jack would only give him a few minutes, long enough to conclude that he was out of options.

　　Suited, Kal pushed away from the storage rack, flying through the air towards the still-open doors of the hold, the protective shielding in place. Piercing the barrier, Kal found himself in the void of space, his momentum carrying him away from his Starship.

　　He took a moment to admire the clear view of the stars around him. Unlike when he Piloted a suit, nothing hampered his vision of the distant heavens. He was viewing it with his own eyes and not the sensor suite of a Nyx.

　　Taking a deep breath, the air circulating through the bodysuit`s filters, Kal calmed his mind, preparing himself for what came next. It was as if he were free for the first time since leaving stasis, the void around him empty. Nothing pressed against him. The weight was lifted from his shoulders.

　　Raising his arm, he tapped the built-in display, a holo image appearing in his suit`s helmet. Connected through the Starship, he accessed the universal communication channel, broadcasting his words to everyone in the vicinity. Thousands of people, brigand and House Guard alike could hear what he had to say.

　　"This is Baron Caledon." He whispered, watching the pinpricks of light reflecting off the metallic surfaces of the Mechs arrayed against his forces. Pressed up against the nearby Starship, a massive Machine rose above another, its hand piercing the torso of the other. The Odin was pristine, unscathed from the conflict, while Rise was barely functioning, its systems failing.

　　"Well, Baron. Out for a little stroll, are we?" Jack responded. Kal`s bodysuit lacked the ability to display his image, but he could imagine the man was grinning derisively.

　　"I`ve come to make you an offer," Kal replied.

　　"Certainly, we`re all ears. I`m curious about what you could offer me since I can take all you have by force." Jack mocked.

　　"I know what you truly want, but Aesir corporation will never get their hands on it. I am willing to become your prisoner and grant you everything in my grandmother`s vault, but you will let everyone here go in exchange. The Imperial Herald will deliver the vault`s contents to your chosen place." Kal explained, waiting for a response as he drifted through the dark void of space, his eyes locked on the Odin.

　　"An interesting proposal, Baron. But I have a counteroffer. I will imprison you and everyone here. Then, we will travel to Caledon, where your people will witness you shackled and beaten. You will give me the vault`s contents and the Mech that was left in your care." Jack countered.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author`s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

　　"I will set you all free to continue your lives once I have what I want. You have my word." Jack finished.

　　"I`ve been warned that your word means nothing, Jack." Kal sighed, and in the back of his mind, a presence tugged at his consciousness, urging him to act. It was a caged beast waiting to be unleashed, one that he had no control over. A creature that would likely take his own life, as well as everyone here, if he chose to free it.

　　"Then you leave me no choice. This is my final warning. Leave now with all your people, and we can continue this conflict another day. If not, none of you will survive. I`m willing to die for Caledon and its people. Are you willing to die for what you seek, Jack?" Kal threatened, and the beast within him crowed at the thought of the coming slaughter.

　　"I do not enjoy being threatened, whelp." Jack growled, and the Odin moved with his words, its aggressive stance ready to pounce at any moment.

　　"Talha, have all our troops retreat as soon as they are able. You are to Jump once the ship`s systems are restored." Kal ordered, switching to a private channel for a moment.

　　"Understood. What about the Rise?" She asked, concerned for her grandmother.

　　"I will remove the Odin, but I cannot guarantee her rescue with what I am about to do. You will need to arrange for Mechs to bring her away. There must be no hesitation. Jump away with everyone and leave me." Kal responded, his voice firm.

　　Not waiting for a response, he switched back to the public channel.

　　"What is your answer, Jack?" Kal queried, his emotions calm, and he had nothing left to do. The future depended on Jack`s answer.

　　"Enough games!" Jack shouted, and as he was about to leap off the Starship and head toward the defenceless Kal, he heard the Baron`s response.

　　"So be it&Atlas! I need you!" Kal shouted into the void while reaching out towards the link in his mind, the connection to the far away beast` within him.

　　A moment passed in which nothing happened, and Kal`s call faded away.

　　"Foolish boy! No one is coming to rescue you! Just give in an-" Jack yelled angrily before he was interrupted by a mechanical voice speaking in his cockpit.

　　"Warning: Spatial anomaly detected. Origin: Unknown."

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　　Erika Pearson watched the display as it showed the small, lonesome figure of the Baron of Caledon. Drifting in the void of space, he appeared incredibly fragile to her. His forces had fought valiantly, but against the full might of Lying Jack`s Corsairs, with Aesir Corporation`s finest equipment, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

　　She heard every word exchanged between Jack and the Baron. The man was broadcasting it to the entire system. His offer of clemency was ridiculous, as was Jack`s mercy. She knew the man was lying. He would take everything the Baron owned and burn Caledon, along with Kalen`s House Guard, to the ground.

　　There could be no witnesses to their actions today.

　　"So be it& Atlas! I need you!" Erika listened to the Baron`s seemingly desperate call but couldn`t fathom what he was doing. His communication link was short-ranged. It could barely reach the surface of the planet below them, let alone the system`s star or worlds beyond it.

　　Could he have forces hidden in the system they didn`t know about? The notion was preposterous. There were no hidden Starships or Mechs. Jack`s spy had given them the entire breakdown of his troops.

　　The silence continued for long seconds, and the unease within her grew along with her confusion. Just when she was about to order Jack`s troops to stop the Baron immediately, a warning sounded through the Command Center.

　　"Warning: Spatial anomaly detected. Origin: Unknown."

　　Space undulated, and waves seemed to ebb and flow as they disrupted the view of the stars behind it. A black orb hung in the center of the distortion, a portal to the unknown that slowly expanded. The Starship began to shake violently around her from the unknown phenomenon.

　　"What is it!?" Erika shouted over the groans of the ship as its structure began to twist and writhe from the effects of the energy waves.

　　"We think it`s a Jump anomaly, but I`ve never seen anything like this before!" A crew member shouted, the holo in front of him displaying the sensor readings of the abnormality. It resembled a Starship`s Jump arrival point, but larger and significantly more violent.

　　Erika stared at the yawning black hole, the other side a void of nothingness. The undulations grew, and as they did so, her Starship buckled violently.

　　"Something is coming!" The crewmember advised her.

　　From the portal, a shape began to emerge. Massive and humanoid, a monstrous figure slowly drifted out of the Jump.

　　A beast had responded to Kal`s call.