Board Thread:The Company/@comment-24930445-20140615054833/@comment-24866242-20140617032613

Lantis in Command

"Ms. ZyThyrne?" Lantis hesitated in the doorway to the darkened office, his eyes not yet adjusted from the bright light outside.

"Close the door, Lantis."

He complied, stepping inside and waiting for a moment for his eyes to adjust. A second or two was all it took. A feeble island of light illuminated Joslynne where she sat behind her desk. She wasn't looking at him, but at the display she held in her hands.

He walked down the center of the room towards her desk, stopping a few feet away. The office on the Midnight Angel had been little used these last few years. Jos had entrenched herself on her research base, focusing her energy on the project. The Angel had continued to operate without her, mostly thanks to his own efforts.

Now she was back, but something was different. She was not the same.

“Speak,” Jos commanded, a hint of the old fire asserting itself, but it came from a woman who had been hiding in this darkened office for more than a week. A week since Axin had last been there…

“We have taken them by surprise, but our advantage ebbs with each passing moment. Their engineering crews have already begun to reroute battery backups to internal sensors. The Company's people are skilled at hand to hand combat. Once they locate our drones their superior numbers will overwhelm our infiltrators.” He waited.

Joslynne didn’t respond at first, continuing to focus on the tiny screen in her hands. “I told you my objectives. How you accomplish them is up to you.”

“As you say,” Lantis replied. Joslynne was quick to reward success, but she was even quicker to punish failure, as he had come very close to experiencing himself. The goals had been set. “I plan to fire on them. Distract their engineers and provide additional time for my teams to locate your targets.”

Jos looked at him sharply. “No. Katrylle musn’t die. I have plans for her that go beyond that. Have you pinpointed your targets?”

Lantis nodded. “As you wish. One of my agents reports that the traitor is captured. The second target should be in hand within minutes.”

She nodded, then returned to the pad in her lap. “What of the other little project that was suppose to be handled? I want him to know that no matter the distance, I can still take away those who mean the most to him.”

Lantis’ face twisted. For all of Jos’ proclamations of allowing him discretion when it came to methods, her insistence on using the woman in this manner had been a mistake. There was no easy way tell her that though. “That line of attack has failed. The ‘Flower’, as you called her, has wilted. I cautioned you against it if you recall.”

Her head snapped up and in the glow of the pad, he could see the Jos he feared and respected. “Watch yourself, Lantis. I am not seeing the success you’ve promised me as of yet. Your usefulness is hanging precariously at the moment.”

“My apologies. I am still getting used to these drones. They make a fine distraction but their precision leaves much to be desired. I meant no disrespect.”

“Precision was not their intention, Lantis. Chaos was. They, at least, have accomplished their goal. I’m still waiting for word on yours.” Her voice was dangerously quiet.

Lantis bowed his head, acknowledging her power and acquiescing. “I will return to my post, Ms. ZyThyrne. The moment your second target is secured I will initiate the recall as we discussed.”

She didn’t acknowledge him, preferring the data streaming through her pad to his promises. He took two steps back before turning and walking back to the door. As he pulled the handle and light streamed back into the room from outside, she stopped him. “Any word of Axin from your agents?”

Lantis turned and looked back at her, a pale shadow of light in the darkness. “He has been seen. As instructed, my agents have not interfered with him.”

It was difficult to tell from across the room in the dim light, but Lantis sensed her disappointment. He decided to take a chance. “I could change their orders if you wish…”

She shook her head slightly, a simple, yet soft “no” slipping past her lips before she dropped her gaze to the pad.

Lantis hesitated. This timidness on her part was unsettling. Joslynne was nothing if not brutal in her decisiveness. He wasn’t sure just how Axin had gained his new advantage over her but it worried him. It was time to commit. “Ma’am. Forgive me if I am speaking out of turn. It seems his goals and yours no longer coincide. To eliminate him would be costly, but if you command it I have the resources to accomplish the task. Say the word and he will die aboard the Vextis before the recall.”

Her gaze never lifted, though he sensed he had her full attention and, that perhaps she actually considered his offer. Slowly, her head shook. “Thank you for your offer, Lantis, but no.”

Lantis bowed and withdrew, the door clicking shut quietly behind him. He took his time making his way back to his little command center, the wheels in his mind turning. Perhaps he shouldn’t have asked the question, but having received her answer he realized there was no choice but to continue despite her wishes. It was the only way to save her, and more importantly, himself. With Axin in charge Lantis knew his own days would be numbered.

Axin must die.