Help Unwanted

Free Time

They reported back to Kane's office in good time despite being in no hurry to. It was common sense not to keep the Supreme Commander waiting on them, but Deacon and Reyna were savoring this last trip together while they could.

They knew one thing for certain - they did not want to part from each other. They had come too close to that just yesterday.

It was hard to believe how much has happened since then. In the span of the night, they had their first date together and confessed their feelings to one another. In any other circumstance, this would all be happening too fast - but they had so little time left. They took every minute to their advantage, indulging in good things like having drinks, watching movies, and playing chess. Now that their comfortable bubble had been broken, they had to face their due consequences.

She gave his hand an assuring squeeze when they arrived. They didn't have to wait long at all, as a soldier escorted them right to Kane's door. The spymaster pushed it open to the sight of his father sitting at his desk with his hands folded. Rooke was leaning against one of the walls with his large axe resting beside him. That was his default way of 'sitting' - as none of the furniture in this room could properly support his immense frame.

Kane did not share any pleasantries and pointed expectantly to the two empty chairs in front of him. "Take a seat."

They were on the cushions in less than a second. Their superior sighed when his eyes met with theirs. He clearly wasn't in a good mood, but he didn't seem to be as mad as he was last time. Deacon didn't know how to read him and decided not to overthink anything just yet.

"As you can see, Rooke has returned from his venture. I will allow him to fill you in on what has happened."

The General took this opportunity to move into their view, standing tall and becoming animated with his hands. "It was an odd state of affairs at best. I found your ship sailing on Mooshu waters yesterday morning while I was on my way to the stormgates. When I attempted to hail you, my crew and I were bombarded with a pirate attack."

Reyna sat up in alarm while the Emissary remained unmoved. If Rooke was here in one piece, then he had little to worry about.

"It was a remarkable fight. The lawbreakers onboard were determined and fought my people admirably. We triumphed in the end...but not without some losses."

Kane spoke up from behind him. "A good majority of your crew is missing, and only a quarter of your prisoners were retrieved. The rest made another escape."

An audible groan came from Deacon as he buried his masked face in his hand. This meant that their chances of staying in the Armada were limited...All the work he and Reyna made was gone. They lost their team from one unfortunate battle. He wished he could melt into the floor to avoid his failure again.

She wasn't any happier hearing this news, sagging in her seat as the disappointment flooded her eyes. They knew what was coming and tried their best to keep strong.

Rooke continued, "They abandoned your ship, so I towed it back with me to Valencia. Those pirates plundered every inch of it. We found very little gold and any belongings left. It also suffered some damage from the battle. You can decide whether you want to repair it or to forgo it entirely."

He picked his head up in surprise. "We have a choice ?"

Kane acknowledged him with a sharp exhale through his nose. "I've decided it would be far too redundant to send you off after the same criminals again. We have more important matters to face now, and letting these prisoners go is the only reasonable compromise to make. We need to focus on stopping a bigger threat."