78. On the Eve

As air rushed away from the spot she now appeared, Nox entered the storeroom from Aunt Ivasha’s memory with a small pop. This was the first step in their movement to reclaim Celeron from the Malignant Shard piece that called itself Erinai. At first, Nox was surprised at how small the storeroom was. She could see shelves, neatly stacked and repaired (unlike her Aunt’s memory where at least one shelf was broken and the storeroom was used more as a place for broken servitors). Parts of all sorts were neatly lined up in rows, or stored in small baskets that could be pulled out like draws. The shelves were also dust free showing there was a high rotation of items from this space. That did not bode well for the group and their plans who had chosen this space because it had been somewhat forgotten and underutilised. What also did not bode well was the massive servitor picking parts from the shelves and placing them in a basket right in front of Nox.
 
The doors to the storeroom behind her, Nox realised she was between the servitor and rest of the temple. Instantly, her camouflage faded her into the greys and mottled browns of the storeroom shadows as she shrunk down out of sight. The servitor continues to pick parts and put them in its basket, seemingly unaware of Nox’s presence. She had wanted to explore a little to confirm her Aunt’s memories of this level of the temple, but daren’t move from her hiding spot. With a silent curse, she bamfed back to the group at Tiltspire to give her report.
 
“If that room is as used that much, I don’t know how we can do any more recon without giving away our surprise,” She said, concluding her report.
 
The report wasn’t as devastating as it was feared. It was unlikely they were going to be able to sneak around the temple looking for the crystal port without some resistance. Still, the nature of having to teleport in meant they’d never be able to take a large force. If there was fighting to do, they wanted to do as little as possible.
 
That’s where Marius’ idea came in.
“I bet Jaden can repair my communicator to Veris. If we turn it on in an undisclosed location with what looks like a bunch of soldiers, saying, “Hey! We’re on our way, gather as many people together as possible!”, then the Shard will send its forces out looking for the threat, so they’ll be less when we attack the temple!”
Fureva-Yung raised a suggestion, “Why not somewhere close to Celeron that the Shard knows and can send servitors to. The Towers, in the forest? Transmit from there and then Nox can teleport us from there straight into the temple.”
“I was hoping to make it look and sound like there were a lot of troops ready to deploy,” Marius said, “Could you bamf them all to safety and then take us into the temple?”
Nox shook her head. Besides the time it would take teleporting groups back to Tiltspire, it would also be exhausting and she didn’t like the idea of going into battle in the temple at half charge.
 
“Shame. It would be a good spot for a trap. Blow up the servitor army as soon as they arrive at the Towers,” Jaden mused, toying with the idea of a singularity bomb that would make everything for miles around just disappear into a tightly condensed dot of matter.
“We don’t want the Shard getting the idea there’s something wrong out at the Spire, “Nox agreed, “If they get to the Towers and find nothing or an explosion goes off, the Shard is bound to get the message that something is up. Could we use your communication jammers to stop any message getting back to Celeron?”
 
Jaden nodded, “Yes, I still have parts. I can now make them last longer with some parts from our last trip. We can still blow them up, but not before we stop their communication back to the Shard.”
 
“But the servitors aren’t our biggest problem. We also have the problem of the Crystal itself,” Jaden reminded the group, “It can’t bamf anywhere. It’s far too complicated a device. We need a way to transport it into the temple either by land or sky. Maybe after we take Celeron we can drive it in?” The truck, where the Crystal still sat in its crate, had been a good way of moving it so far. Travelling overland between Tiltspire and Celeron would be exposing it to shard servitor forces. With it the only one they knew currently in existence, they had to find a way to move it safely.
Again, Fureva-Yung shook her head, “If we cage the shard, the servitors will not be a threat. We can not fight all the servitors alone and asking the people to fight will risk their lives.”
 
So, the crystal cage needed to be ready to deploy as soon as the group found its port. Again, Marius’ clever mind came to the rescue.
“We’ve seen pocket datasphere. There’s one here at Tiltspire and another down at the Foundary. Is there anyway that Jaden can create a key that opens a small pocket datasphere, large enough for the crystal and maybe a couple of people to move it out when the time was right?”
 
Everyone looked to Jaden. After a moment’s thought, she shrugged, “It’s possible. We know they exist and we know how to open them with keys. But I’ve never made one and I image that neither Ivasha or No-Dir has either. You’re going to have to give us time on that one.”
 
 
And time was not something they had a lot of. Scouting groups dealt with servitors closer and closer to Tiltspire every day. Certainly, the number of servitors hunting for them had increased over the last few weeks. If they didn’t shut down the shard soon, it may be too late for Tiltspire and its residences.
 
“If you can make the datasphere pocket dimension,” Nox piped up, “Who is going to stay with the crystal? It can’t be any of us,” She pointed to herself, Jaden, Marius and Fureva-Yung, “We’ll be invading the temple. It has to be someone familiar with those sorts of spaces. Someone who is already has experience fighting against the shard.”
“You sound like you have someone in mind,” Jaden said, reading Nox’s knowing look.
“Maybe I do.”
 
The meeting broke up soon after. Jaden went of to talk to her assistance about what they needed to build. Marius went in search for his old comrades, Yitti and Orv to discuss the diversion. Nox went looking for her Mother.
 
Ariaxa was not always in Tiltspire. Her work with the Order of Sync and Trace meant she was often called away on business. But, when she was free, she loved nothing better than being with Livaar as he worked. Alone his was an adept though uninspired artificer, best suited to making small clockwork devices and complicated gearing systems. With Ariaxa by his side, he found new new inspiration for the work. Gone were the cups and spoons made of scrap metal. He had returned to making contraptions that were wound by the wind and kept the crops free of weeds, or pumped water up from the lake. It was at his new work desk that Nox found her mother and pulled her aside to explain the plans.
 
“If we’re to take Celeron, we need that crystal cage ready to go, that means someone in the pocket dimension ready to move it out and possibly help protect it.”
“And you want me to do this?” Ariaxa asked, a thoughtful expression coming over her face.
“If you want to. We could ask one of Marius friends to do it, but they’ve never been in the datasphere and besides, he already has plans for them. You already fight against the shard and have lived in the datasphere. I don’t know anyone who would be better for this than you.”
Ariaxa smiled and hugged her daughter, “And I think I know a few individuals who can help with that distraction of Marius’. I have two friends in Sync and Trace, Galena and Torix. Galena has the skill of teleporting like you, and Torix is a master of Illusion. I think they’d be happy to help create the illusion of an army and then get everyone safely back to Tiltspire.”
“So…you’ll do it then?”
“Oh love, that’s what we here for. Of course, I’ll help in anyway I can.”
 
It was a good plan. Ariaxa would enter the pocket datasphere with the crystal. The key to the datasphere would be carried into the temple by the group. Galena teleports the group with Torix, Yitti and Orv to the Endoval Towers where the grand illusion of soldiers lined up in front of the towers will be presented to the traitorous Veris via Marius’ com link. While, Galena, Torix, Yitti and Orv stay at the tower to create a trap with Jaden’s com jammers and explosives, the group would bamf to the storeroom and work their way down into the heart of the temple. Once the crystal port is found, the group would barricade themselves in and open the datasphere for Ariaxa and the crystal.
 
Jaden was already busy making as many light rubber armours as possible from the bulbs collected . She now had the Veriscom to fix it and more communication jammers to make. On top of that, she had to find a way of producing a datasphere key like the one used in the Spire to make a pocket dimension for the Crystal and human occupant to look after it. Even with her assistance, everyone tread carefully around Jaden over the next few days for fear of distracting her and earning her rage.
 
Once all the equipment was made to Jaden’s satisfaction, Nox bamfed Galena to the tunnels under to towers. Though quiet, it was clear the servitors had been back since the refugees flight. The random servitor bodies were gone and it looked as thought the giant servitor had been gutted for parts. They looked around for a short while until Galena was sure they’d have no problem teleporting the group the next day.
 
The morning of the big push, Jaden went around the group and gave everyone a random mutation for the day.
Marius received a stinger finger which poisoned anything it touched. What good that was going to do against servitors was unclear, but he kept the new ability in mind. Fureva-Yung’s mutation was even more unusual, the ability to change her face. It would have been wonderful while walking through Akavel, but how it could be used liberating Celeron was unclear. Nox received telekinesis, the ability to move things with her mind at short distance. Though something she’d been able to do all her life with her Hedge magic, this ability was its more powerful version and Nox was eager slam servitors into each other with her mind.
“Now, I really can kill you with my brain!” She said to Marius who gave Nox a friendly pat on the shoulder and found somewhere else to be.
 
The group, Marius’ friends, the two from Sync and Trace as well as Ariaxa met outside the Spire. Via the key, Ariaxa entered the pocket datasphere with the crystal on one of the trolleys from the tower. Galena effortlessly transported everyone to the passages under Endoval towers.
 
They climbed out onto the surface where the diversion would be sent. Under the two towers, Marius set himself up with a good view of the clearing. With Yitti and Orv running around in the near background, Torix created a massive army consisting of tents, tracked and wheeled vehicles, a few gyrocopters, and hundred of humanoid shapes moving around behind. At close inspection the illusion was obvious, flat and without detail. In the background of a unstable hand held com-link it was bound to do the trick.
 
When everything was in place and Nox (who had fought Veris in a pocket datasphere in the past was out of sight) Marius turned on the Veriscom.
“...I’ve turned it on…is it working…I don’t know…Veris? Veris, can you hear me?”
“Master Marius!” The clear voice of Veris came over the com link, “Oh, how good it is to hear your voice!”
“It’s working! Veris! I don’t know how long this will work for, we’ve bodged it together as best we can. Tell me, how are the people in town fairing?”
“Mr Marius, oh, life has been tough here for the people of Celeron. They work very hard, but they are tough and are surviving.”
“Okay, I need you to tell them to get ready. Do you hear me…have we…do you understand? We’re coming to free them, tell them to prepare…what’s happening…?” Marius’ acting was flawless. It was like the expertly repaired com link was starting to fail.
“Mr Marius! Please, where are you? What are you planning?” Veris’ voice came over loud and clear and Nox had to hold her hands in front of her mouth so as to not laugh and give it all away.
Out of sight, Marius found a wire Jaden had left loose on purpose.
“Veris! Tell them! We’re coming! We’re…” And he yanked the wire. The com link went dead and the first part of the diversion was set.
 
“Okay, and now we wait for the Shard to empty Celeron of servitors,” Marius said and the group got to work setting up Jaden Comm-jammers and explosives. Before they left Yitti, Orv, Torix and Galena would turn them on. A proximity switch would turned them on as soon as the army were in range. After al the busy work was one and Jaden had checked the linkages several times, they all sat around and rested.
 
One hour stretched into two, stretched into four and the forest was silent. It was uncomfortable, but not unexpected. The towers were a day’s walk from town and would take servitor, even travelling fast at least half that time. By the end of four hours though, no one could stand it any longer. A four hour headstart in the temple without too much servitor interference sounded as good as they were going to get. Forming a tight group on Nox’s instructions, she teleported herself, Marius, Jaden (with the key) and Fureva-Yung into the store room.
 
The storeroom was cramped, but empty. Marius’ activated all his embedded cyphers as Jaden turned on a range weapon cypher she’d been holding onto for a while. This was it. After they opened the storeroom door the surprise would be sprung and there was no going back. After fighting for their lives, fleeing their only home. After months of travel, building, exploration and struggle they were back in Celeron and ready to take back their home once more.