CHAPTER 19: THE RECLAMATION

  [POST-ENGAGEMENT STATUS: SUCCESS]

  [CAPTIVES: 1,200 IMPERIAL SAILORS]

  [NEW ASSET: THE 'RESOLUTE']

  The 'Resolute' didn't land; it survived a controlled crash. The massive silver hull lay half-buried in the dunes, two miles from the Oasis. Its engines were silent, the mana-glow gone from its vents. It looked like a beached whale made of steel and arrogance.

  I didn't wait for the dust to settle. I was already at the gates, flanked by Lilo and a squad of Lito’s men.

  "I didn't authorize any looting," I said to the soldiers. They were looking at the crashed ship with greed in their eyes. "Every scrap of metal, every mana-shard, and every prisoner belongs to the Oasis. If I find a man with a stolen Imperial ring, I’ll add ten years to his debt. Am I clear?"

  The men nodded, their faces pale. They had seen what the Core did to the cruisers. They didn't want to be the next thing it ate.

  We reached the 'Resolute' as the first hatches were being pried open from the inside. Admiral Vane stumbled out, his white uniform covered in soot and blood. He looked at Lilo—a man he had once called a hero—and then he looked at me.

  "You... you've crippled the Imperial Navy's presence in this sector," Vane gasped. "The Emperor will send ten more fleets for this."

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  "I didn't ask for ten more, but I’ll take them if they’re as poorly maintained as this one," I said. I didn't offer him a hand. I didn't offer him water. "You are now a 'High-Value Debtor'. Your ransom is set at one million gold. Until the Empire pays, you and your crew will work in the mines. We have some new shafts that need finishing."

  "You can't do this! We are prisoners of war!" Vane shouted.

  "I didn't declare war, Admiral. This was a private civil matter regarding unauthorized mana-usage in my airspace," I said. "In the Oasis, there are no prisoners. There are only employees who haven't finished their shifts yet. Lilo, take them to Sector 14. Give them the standard orientation."

  Lilo led them away. He didn't look at me as he passed. He looked at the sand.

  I turned my attention to the 'Resolute'. The hull was mostly intact. The mana-cannons were still functional. It was a masterpiece of engineering, and it was mine.

  "Ami," I said into my comms. "I need a full inventory of the cargo hold. I’m looking for the 'Aether-Engines'. If we can integrate those into the Oasis, we won't need the siphons to be so aggressive."

  "I'm on it," Ami said. She was already climbing into the breach in the hull. "Gray... there's something else. In the lower deck. It’s a locked vault. It’s not Imperial. It has the Guild’s seal on it."

  I didn't wait for a description. I headed into the ship.

  The vault was in the very back of the hold, surrounded by protective runes. It wasn't gold. It wasn't mana-shards. It was a single, black iron box, no bigger than a ledger.

  I didn't touch it. I let the Core scan it through my hand-held sensor.

  "Warning: Unknown entity detected," the Core whispered. "Signature matches 'Primordial Core Fragment'."

  I didn't feel a rush of excitement. I felt a cold chill of realization. The Guild wasn't sending the fleet to kill me. They were using the fleet to transport something much more dangerous, and I had just intercepted it.

  I didn't open the box. I didn't even breathe on it.

  "Ami, get out of here," I said. "Lilo, get the men back to the Oasis. Now."

  "What is it, Gray?" Ami asked, her voice trembling.

  "I didn't buy a cruiser," I said. "I bought a liability. We need to move the Oasis. Now."

  "Move it?" she gasped. "It’s a mountain!"

  "I didn't say it would be easy," I replied. "I said we need to move it. If the Guild wants this box back, they won't send ships. They’ll send the Gods."

  I didn't look back at the 'Resolute'. I didn't look at the gold. I looked at the black box and saw the end of the world.

  And for the first time in my life, I didn't have a spreadsheet for what happened next.