As the hours went by understandably, word of the destruction of the slavery post spread like wildfire.

Many were unsure of what caused it, many recall hearing a roar of jet engines in the dead of night, leading some to believe that some kind of terror attack had happened.

But many more didn't dub it as a "terror attack", rather what they deserved.

Peacemaker walked down the hallway, his armored boots clanking slightly on the floor as he thought to himself about this recent ordeal.

He knew the NSCR leader well, quite well in fact, having known him since the NSCR's founding years ago, but there were corners of Fotus's mind that evaded him.

Fotus was a Prime human, one of several sub-species of human on Chaknaka, unlike some of his brethren, he had chosen the life or a normal mortal, but that didn't mean he couldn't become powerful in his own way.

Fotus had..seen a lot to say the lease, he wasn't one to open up about his own past, Peacemaker simply knew it because he had been there for several events.

He knew the demons Fotus hid within himself.

But he knew that at the end of the day, even if he went rouge for a while, that Fotus would always be there to protect them, and fight for what he believed was right.

Having been by his side since his days of being a member of the former nation called the Iron Fists, and their tyrannical regime, Peacemaker knew that Fotus whilst ultimately a very kind soul, but had a certain type of rage within him, leading him to also have a ruthless streak within him, a type of rage that he only unleashed against those who he deemed worthy enough.

Not to mention his armor, the armor of Agarek, which he managed to find when he was young, and it bonded to him after he first touched it, it was basically his symbol at this point.

Peacemaker had seen it shrug off point-blank tank shots and destruction magic with ease, one could only wonder it's true origins.

All this was going through his head as he turned a corner and spied a tall figure clad in green armor, talking with a slightly shorter-but still quite tall figure clad in red armor.

It only took him a moment to recognize them, codenames Orbital and Greenstone.

The two of them were members of killteams much like Alina, Orbital, the one in red armor, was a member of killteam Skyblaze, a fireteam that often specialized in direct combat situations and open war, whilst a bit shorter then some of his comrades, that didn't stop him from performing duties well, he was the air assault member and special combat member of his team, his armor uniquely modified to combat foes in void-based environments, as well as countering void-magic.

He didn't like to talk about the very rare and often expensive materials needed to keep his suit functioning and in top condition, which is ironic compared to his usual persona, never being afraid to be a smart ass or crack a joke to someone besides him.

Greenstone was a member of killteam Fenris, a team that focused on more unconventional tactics of warfare, Greenstone himself was the teams anti-armor member, and had a noticeably more gruff and serious persona when compared to Orbital's more humorous side.

His armor was also noticeably more bulky when compared to his red-armored comrade, as it was meant more for defense and survivability, not so much mobility and speed.

Continuing the walk down the hallway, Peacemaker nodded to them as he came into their vision, the two returning the gesture.

"Heard about what happened I take it?" asked Greenstone.

"Hard not to, most people still don't know what happened, but we're not about to say anything to the public regarding the matter, best let them just think it was some freak accident" replied Peacemaker.

Orbital chuckled.

"serves'em right, damn bastards, kinda wish I could of gone there myself" he said with a shrug.

His two companions gave accepting shrugs as they began to make their way down the hallway together.

It didn't take long before they came to one of the lounges, a TV was on and like many others, playing a broadcast on the previous nights events.

"Nimis officials are still unclear to who orchestrated the attack late last night, due to most residents being asleep during the time of the explosion, many are unsure of the cause, however a few report hearing a jet aircraft flying over the city, and air-striking the building after several hooded figures reportedly evacuated the building, leading some to speculate that a daring operation had been undertaken without public knowledge, more details are expected to be released soon" said the TV

The three shared a silent chuckle between the three of them, they'd be scratching their heads on this for weeks most likely, considering Nimis was known for it's corrupt government, they'd refuse to accept the fact that the NSCR had swooped in and dismantled half their economy within an hour.

However what caught their eyes wasn't just the report, but the figure standing in front of the TV

Artemis stood there unmoving, her eyes wide and watery, she said no words, but her rigid body structure and hitched breath told the story.


The three had never been raised as a slave, so they couldn't relate to what Artemis felt, but they stayed silent, they didn't try to give her some rousing pep talk or life-changing words, they allowed Artemis her silence, they knew that this was a subject she had to overcome herself.

They all cared for her greatly, and she in turn cared for them, and like them all, she had many demons within her, Greenstone was still haunted by the death of his family at the hands of a terror attack, Peacemaker had served with Fotus longer then most, and Orbital was forced to commit several acts that he refused to elaborate on before joining the NSCR.

Fotus was their figurehead, he himself had grown up an outcast, he gave them all something to believe in, and reignited their energy for life and the goddess.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Artemis clutched the remote in her hands with both palms, her hands shaking slightly as she replayed the news report over and over in her head, her mind focused on every word, every syllable, even after the news reporter moved onto other subjects, her mind remained utterly focused on the report of the buildings destruction.

To her, she was in a tunnel vision, her mind only heard those words, but..there was a sort of peace to go along with the words.

She spent so much of her life as a slave, witness dozens of others die in front of her and their corpses hung up on hooks to be sold as meat to the sick, her own sister shot and killed in front of her, nearly killed herself before Fotus and his men rescued her.

For the first few years she barely spoke and often refused to talk with anyone, for a while longer she hated her appearance, despite being considered beautiful by most standards, with her blue hair, striking blue eyes, and athletic build, many considered her breathtaking.

But to her, she was ugly, and she still battled with thoughts of her own worth, she hated being a form of demihuman as many viewed her barely above an animal herself, a tool to be used and discarded when her usefulness ended.

But Fotus saved her, kept her alive, gave her the will to survive and keep moving, eventually she had managed to heal to the point that she could interact with those around her.

Fotus was a savior or even father figure to many of the Warlords, or at least a close friend, he always treated them well, he was strict and stern when needed, but was generally friendly and easy-going, if not a little cryptic.

However, Artemis had known that Fotus rarely ever talked about his past, even some of his oldest comrades, like Peacemaker, another being named Drakion, and several more shared little of his past, of course it is common knowledge that he was a key player in dismantling the tyrannical reign of the former nation known as the Iron fist, and used it's remains to found the NSCR kingdom.

But whenever she or anyone else asked about him, either Fotus or one of his longest allies would simply give a cryptic response, such as "let's just say I wasn't always a saint" which was a common one.

Fotus didn't seem to hate being asked questions like those, as Artemis recalls him explaining that it was only natural to be curious of those around you, but he always had this distant sadness within him, like he had seen his death coming years ago, and no matter how much he'd try, he couldn't avoid it.

Artemis had been scared for years of those traders coming for her, taking her once again and selling her off to the highest bidder, even though they never came, she still had nightmares.

But now, hearing that the very station she had basically been raised in for much of her childhood and earlier teen years was destroyed, Artemis knew what had really happened, no-one told her, they didn't need too, but she knew that it was Fotus's handiwork.

Her mind didn't know what to think of it, part of her mind was thinking that this was simply a dream, a cruel dream and that she'd soon wake up.

However, no matter how much she pinched herself, felt the new scars on her face and tightened the grip on the remote, she didn't wake up.

The weight on her chest was removed in one breath after the other, she felt...free, she felt like she had been chained all her life and now she had been set free, free to do whatever she felt like.

Her watery eye's blinked for the first time in about five minutes as she looked down at her wrists, the remains of extremely faint scars that showed where she had been chained her eyes could only just make out, feeling them, she shut her eyes tightly as her ears perked.

She felt the presence of three figures behind her, for a second her reflexes set her on edge, but after a few seconds she realized that they were Greenstone, Orbital and Peacemaker.

The three stood nearby, not in an intimidating or impatient way, but in a patient silent way, they knew the gravity of the situation and let her take it in herself.

Glancing back and tilting her head back slightly, she met eyes with Peacemaker, or she hoped was her eyes, considering the considerable height difference between the two.

Peacemaker met her eye's back, and though he said nothing, gave the tiniest of nods in respect.

Artemis didn't bother with responding, she could barely gather the thoughts to respond verbally now anyway, but the feeling of peace and relief seeped into her system even more now, as she returned his nod with the smallest of grins that reassured them that she was alright.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fotus and Interface looked over a table as the timelords manifest laid open, it's faded pages seemed to resist all attempts of erosion and wear.

Interface was intently watching a screen, seeing what their systems could decipher, Fotus was watching the screen as well with half an eye, he was waiting for someone to arrive, someone who was an expert in ancient artifacts.

"Hmmm....a lot of the events here have already taken place, but I suppose it makes sense considering where in the earlier pages, the accuracy of which it explains events at first seem vague and cryptic, but they describe every event in practically perfect detail..better then any machine, or sorcerer magic I've seen, it's honestly incredible" said Interface halfways to herself.

Fotus chuckled.

"Well he wasn't called the timelord for nothing, find anything interesting?" he asked her.

Interface considered this.

"I've currently reached an odd..point in the pages, mostly it's just symbols, but I swear I've seen them before somewhere, I can't really tell where, but I swear I have, hopefully she can help us figure them out"

Fotus nodded, their resident expert should be here any time now.

Interface glanced at Fotus, who noticed and guess what she had been asking.

"Don't worry, Artemis is fine, she just needs some time to herself" he replied calmly.

Interface seemed to hesitate for a second, then nodded.

Fotus glanced back at the door, Interface was a longtime member, not as long as Peacemaker, Drakion or Flame, but longer then most, Interface was never an openly affectionate type, but her more determined persona hid a very kind soul, she had a ruthless edge to her, but she never hurt someone without a reason.

Where-as Artemis and Fotus had a more parental style relationship, he and interface was far more sibling-ish in their relationship, Interface greatly cared for her comrades, but she was always like a big sister to most, giving you kind words and then exposing your ass for something you did five years ago was her thing.

Her robotic eye gave her the ability to hack into practically any man made form of technology with ease, she was one of the NSCR's most renowned hackers and infiltration specialists.

Fotus's thoughts were broken when a door slid open and a tall, thin figure quietly walked into the room, she wore nothing over her feet, and she had a mixture of robes and a dress on as her hood covered part of her head, her pale grey hair mostly hidden by the clothing.

"Catalyst, it's good to see you" said Fotus.

Catalyst nodded to Interface and gave a small smirk.

"you make it seem as if we've been away for days, you can come visit me anytime you know?" she said, despite her monotone level of voice, she had a somewhat playful glint in her eyes, which were dull and grey and seemed unfocused.

Fotus chuckled.

"Perhaps indeed..anyway, you know why I requested your presence?" he asked.

Catalyst glanced at the manifest, then looked back at Fotus.

"I imagine it's got something to do with deciphering the symbols within the book?, tell me if I'm wrong" she said with a knowing smile.

Interface nodded.

"Yep, we've uncovered a lot here, but there's these few pages of symbols that look familiar, but their ancient, I swear I've seen them before, but can't tell where" she explained.

Catalyst nodded in understanding as Interface stepped off to the side to allow her to better look at the symbols.

Almost immediately her eyes seemed to darken in color as she went deep into thought.

"Hmmm...certainly ancient alright, no-one's used these symbols in years.." she mused.

"Got anything?" asked Fotus.

The women tilted her head slightly.

"These symbols do not say words, instead they each point to a specific location, or perhaps even a person or group, you won't find any knowledge of these in public records, instead..they seem to be pointing to a specific group, now who..." she mused to herself.

Fotus and Interface glanced at each other.

"A cat running by a tree..at first there seems to just be random images..however there is one kingdom in particular that strikes a cord with me" she continued.

"Jaguard sprinters.." Interface finished.

Fotus nodded

"It seems so" he said.

"So what's it saying about the Sprinters?" asked Interface.

Glancing down she ran her hand over one of the pages and narrowed her eyes.

"To put it in common tongue without the cryptic wording, travel to the land of the Jaguar sprinters, their chieftain or shaman should be able to tell you what they mean and where to go and look next" she said simply.

"Their known to be extremely territorial, we can't just walk into their forests unannounced, that's tantamount to war to them" said Interface evenly.

Fotus nodded.

"I know, but I'm on good terms with their Chieftain Heavy tree, their way of naming themselves may be odd compared to most of us, but it's a sacred ritual to them, I'll go and dispatch a small escort fleet and land at a respectful distance away from their shores, I'll take the manifest myself and show myself, when they see me-the leader of the NSCR itself here to talk with them, they should be at least willing to hear us out" he explained.

Interface considered this before glancing at Catalyst who nodded in response.

"Who else is going with you?" Interface asked.

Fotus considered this.

"Cobra, Jungle-bear, a few others I can think of, normally I'd bring you and Catalyst, but there's no technology really in their lands, plus Catalysts energy would immediately make them on edge and less willing to cooperate." he said after a few seconds.

His two companions nodded in understanding as Fotus began to turn around.

"where you going sir?" asked Interface.

Fotus replied lightly.

"Well don't I gotta make sure everyone's ready?" 

Interface gave a tiny grin as Catalyst shrugged.

"Good luck sir, hopefully that books secrets will be revealed after all this" replied the sorcerer.

"My masters secrets have secrets of their own..do you really think you can find them all?" said the books guardian

Catalyst chuckled.

"I do indeed, given time, all things are revealed eventually" she replied.

"I'll be here if need be Fotus" replied Interface.

Fotus nodded and in a playing gesture lightly patted her head, causing her to appear slightly miffed.

"I know you will be, like always, I can count on you to keep me updated eh?" he replied.

Interface have a short sigh and nodded, regaining her composure.

"Of course, you'll be the first to know" she replied.

Fotus nodded and turned to leave the room, the door sliding open easily.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow early, we should only be a few days at most, it's not to far to their lands from here anyway, your be one of the ones in charge while I'm gone Interface..and please try not to have a repeat of last time I left for a few days?" he said with a humerous edge.

Interface broke out into a deep blush as Catalyst glanced at her.

"What happened last time?" she asked.

"You don't know?, oh right you were out on assignment at the time, by the time you got back it had already been finished up and swept under the rug" Fotus responded with a knowing smirk of a voice.

Catalyst began to speak when Interface spoke up again.

"It doesn't matter!, nothing happened!, he's just being a dick again!, you know how he can be!" Interface said rapidly waving her hands on front of her in a very futile attempt to hide her beat red face at the supposed mishap last time she was left in charge for a few days.

Fotus laughed at her reaction to the normally cool and composed Interface, with Catalyst smirking.

"I'm certain I'll fine out eventually" she mused, causing Interface to groan in defeat.

"Don't you go snooping in my personal quarters either" she said to Catalyst.

"I would never" purred Catalyst.

Interface sighed once more in defeat and muttered "it's gonna be a long few days huh..?"

Fotus chuckled at her expense and turned around again.

"I gotta get ready now, play nice everyone, and may the goddess watch over you all in my absence" he said.

The two girls nodded as the door closed behind their leader as Fotus began to prepare himself for the next operation.