The room falls silent as General Lyra nods at one of her officers to explain. 

A tall and relatively slender Plutonian steps forward and my eyebrows knit together in a tight frown as I stare at his pale face. Why does he look so familiar?

"My name is Commander Z and I used to head the military research facilities. We had a secret division, known only to a select few where we were funded to experiment on new technological advancements. There are some devices that we were able to salvage before the explosions destroyed both our buildings on Pluto," He explains. 

"You have something we can use?" Lucian asks. 

"There were a few devices we were working on under the generals surveillance," He casts a quick glance at General Lyra and then continues. "One of them was a microfibre that could disrupt signals for a stipulated amount of time."

"Meaning if that microfibre was activated, one of our teams could fly into Pluto undetected?" Lucian's eyebrows raise ever so slightly but I notice his gaze has turned hopeful. 

Commander Z nods. "And the microfibres have the same characteristics as dust particles stuck to someones clothes. Hence, it will go undetected by our Plutonian scanners." 

"During the time the fibre is activated, every camera on Pluto will be rendered useless temporarily. Meaning several teams could fly in and destroy Central Command within that stipulated time," General Lyra explains and something finally clicks.

I stare at Commander Z and my heart rate picks up when I recognise him as the Plutonian who bumped into Rosie and I, before Lucian's and Lazarus's match. The guy who told us to hold on to our seats and it was only then that we realised there were guns strapped under them. 

If he works for General Lyra, then it only proves that she or whoever is working for her must be the 'S' from our freezer. The one who helped us escape. 

Things need to change before it is too late. Before the rot kills us all. 

Her words ring in my head like a broken recorder and I take a step back, my mind spinning. It can't be anyone else. It must be her, or someone working for her. Could it be Commander Z?

General Lyra altered Lucian's genes when he was a baby, she was also monitoring a secret research facility that were developing such technologies. The buildings housing all these experiments were somehow conveniently destroyed in the bomb blasts, erasing all evidence but these devices were aptly saved for our use?

Is this all just a coincidence or has someone been planning this for much longer than any of us can comprehend?

"You, okay?" Joon whispers from my side. He holds on to my arm to steady me and I turn to him, my tongue tied. 

"He's the one from the bleachers," I whisper after a moment, in his ears and he stiffens at the realisation.

"But we have no proof," Joon whispers back in frustration and I sigh. I instinctively turn to Lucian, wanting to catch his expression. He listens on intently to Commander Z as he explains the mechanism of the microfibre but Lucian doesn't seem to recognise him like we have.

He doesn't know anything about this at all.  

"Why has this been kept a secret from us?" Lucian asks General Lyra after a while and my fists clench as I wait for her answer. 

"We were bound to secrecy when we were sworn in as generals. You would have been too, if there had been a chance," She mutters the last few words and the disappointment on her face is clear. It's obvious she wished her son had been able to follow in her footsteps.

"So Lazarus and no one else on Pluto can detect this..this microfibre?" Lucian stands up and eyes Commander Z skeptically. "Why are you only bringing this up now? Are there other devices we could use?"

"It is still in testing face and so are many of the others," Commander Z states hesitantly and Lucian sighs in disappointment. 

"So you're telling me we'd be sending in one of our own with a 50/50 chance that this thing won't work," Lucian asks while he casts an annoyed look my way which I pretend not to notice. 

I can tell he is angry with me. The atmosphere in the room is so tense, I could cut through the air with a knife whilst everyone remains silent. 

"We have never used it on the field but this device has been tested multiple times with almost a ninety percent success rate," General Lyra speaks up boldly. It seems she is the only one not afraid of Lucian's glare and commanding tone. 

"I'll do it then," He replies and my heart clenches in fear. "We all know that's what Lazarus really wants." 

Numerous gasps erupt around the room and almost all of his Plutonian soldiers take turns to disagree. 

"You can't," Commander Rigel says. "You need to lead your battalion during the war, after we destroy Central Command."

Leader Mori nods solemnly, agreeing with Commander Rigel but he stares at me in pity at the same time. 

I look away, not liking the way he is looking at me because it's glaringly obvious how everyone has rushed to object Lucian's involvement while no one else did the same for me.

Because I am just a soldier in this war whereas he is to become the next general. I am expendable while he is not and I can tell it is eating Lucian up from the inside the more everyone here agrees with Commander Rigel.

His eyes are filled with turmoil and he clenches his hands together tightly.

"And not to mention you need to take over once we are done with this war," General Lyra says, her voice as sharp as a knife's edge.

"I can turn myself in," Luna suddenly suggests. "The chances of Lazarus hurting me are lower." 

"You don't know that. None of us can predict that lunatic's thoughts and actions," General Lyra interjects and all the Plutonians hum in agreement. 

"And you do not have a bounty on your head. It would be too suspicious for you to suddenly turn yourself in for no reason," Leader Mori points out.

Luna leans back in her seat dejectedly and I feel grateful for her help but this discussion really isn't necessary, especially since I've already volunteered. 

And aside from Lucian, I am the only person with a huge bounty on my head. My capture wouldn't be suspicious at all and I am almost certain Lazarus would be too proud to suspect that I am capable to hurting him.

It really is the perfect arrangement.

"I will do it," I reinforce again and everyone focuses their attention on me.

"Child, are you sure?" Commander Rigel asks. His gaze is so soft and tone so tender. It contrasts greatly with his ripped left ear and the tattoos that swirl across his neck and into his uniform.

He really does see me as a child but the problem is I've lost my childhood a long time ago. 

"With all do respect Commander, I am at the right age and of sound mind to make my own decisions and this is what I want to do," I say it so firmly that my body almost trembles. My mind swirls with images of Lazarus and everything he has done to me. 

I want to kill him. I want to destroy him. I want to watch the same pain he has inflicted on me swirl in his eyes. 

Commander Rigel nods after a while and my decision is final because no one else objects. I can see Cat, Rachel and Lucian's squad looking at me with anger and pity plastered across their faces but no one takes my place. 

None of them can. 

"The girl has made her decision and we should respect it," Commander Rigel sighs. "General Lyra, your team should prepare officer Aria with that device you mentioned. I will gather a team of my best to destroy that damn machine once and for all." 

"My officers will join you as well," Lucian says, his face ashen and Commander Rigel nods at him solemnly. 

"We need to discuss how we are going to hand her in. Someone has to report her," Leader Mori says. "I suggest one of ours would be least suspicious." 

"We don't have time. I'm certain you can handle that part of it, Mori. Let us all prepare the necessary arrangements and meet here later tonight for a final briefing before our mission tomorrow," General Lyra says and the rest nod in agreement.

Lucian looks at me and my chest tightens when I see the helplessness on his face. Even after breaking away from the empire and being in charge of his own army, he is still not free to make his own decisions. 

However much he resists, his life will always belong to his people, to his responsibilities. 

I might very well be walking to my death but in a way it fills me with a selfish relief because unlike him, I am in charge of my own life and my decisions are my own. 

Our situation reminds me of those virtual games of chess we used to play during my strategy training when I first joined the army. 

Right now in our game Lucian is our king and everyone else here moves in synchronicity to protect him. I am a pawn, one of the first to be thrown across the board but I don't feel bad about it because this is how it has always been played.

Everyone splits into groups. General Lyra and her team gesture for me to leave with them to test out the microfibres and it takes all my will to break away from Lucian's gaze as I walk away. My heart thumps in my chest knowing that what I am doing is right even though it may very well destroy what little progress I've made with him. 

But that's just the thing. 

Our relationship was always doomed to be a challenge from the start because a king was never meant to fall in love with a pawn. 

Heyyy, short chapter but it's one of those days where I struggled :( . Anyway hope you enjoyed and see you guys soon!!