Chapter 6: Calm Discussion.
Bastian smiled calmly as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes surveying the room. His gaze wandered from face to face, taking in the council's mood. Oti's left face was scowling, which wasn't surprising. In fact, Bastian couldn't remember ever seeing Oti's middle face active around him. The aTer shifted under his gaze, muttering something sharp under his breath.
Tera lounged across from him, her usual smirk tugging at her lips. Her raven dark hair spilled over her chair, as her long tail swayed lazily behind her.
Tristan, his best friend, was as calm as always. An amused smirk resting on his face.
Bel and Zub looked as apathetic as ever, their shadowy forms barely moving.
Iberia just looked bored and impatient.
Aztec simply stared at Bastian. His gaze feeling as cold as ever.
'Such a scary guy,' Bastain thought to himself.
Respen well, didn't look like anything naturally, since he had no features, but Bastian could tell he was already thinking of how to shut down anything he proposed.
Umber just sat quietly like always, not particularly interested in matters not concerning his people. The obscured glass of his suit revealed nothing of his form or thoughts.
Bastian finally turned his gaze to the expression he was most interested in seeing, Nach Grimm, Arbus's grandfather.
He was surprised to see how blank Nach's face was considering how passionate the Tarokian chief usually was. Clearly, this matter was affecting him more than he wanted to let on.
Bastian sighed as his smile faded.
"Firstly I'd like to address the loss of Terytl-b. As of right now there have been no confirmed survivors besides the Renegade responsible for the death of Ronin."
"As much as I'd like to keep this incident a secret for a while, that wouldn't be fair to the families of the victims."
Bastian turned his gaze to Aztec.
"I want you to use the private communication network to relay the news to the other Sentinels of our neighbouring Star system's, to keep them alert. After that send a message to the king, explaining our current situation in clear detail. After a few days, spread it across the Star system"
'Kings' were Renegades with significant power that had been appointed as rulers and protectors of each galaxy. They were recognised unofficially as the final ruling class in the universe. The Wardens, the Pinnacles, and even the Emperor himself, did not have the luxury or time to focus on governing. They were too busy keeping the most dangerous Reincarnators in the universe in check. Naturally, The Pinnacles and the Emperor held more authority than any king, but they rarely ever needed to use it.
Aztec nodded, his four eyes blinking in sequence.
"My team will also have to update the communication networks we're currently using, considering how Ronin was able to block it so easily. To do that, we'll need to examine his remains to understand how he was able to do that in the first place."
Bastain simply nodded.
"Done, you can have the pest's body. Anything else?"
"No, that will be all. We can handle everything else from here, Sentinel," Aztec replied simply.
Bastian turned to Respen next.
"I want you to look into how Ronin made his way to our galaxy and why he targeted this solar system specifically. These attacks are usually random, but I have a feeling this one wasn't."
Respen nodded slowly. He transmitted his response directly into the minds of everyone present.
"I had the same thought. My best inquisitors are already working on it, Sentinel."
"Good. I also want you to handle the bodies of the Renegades personally. See that they get to their families as quickly as possible. They died valiantly in the line of duty. It's the least we can do for them."
"My men were already handling that as well, Sentinel" Raspen transmitted.
Bastian nodded as his gaze shifted around the table. "This was truly a great loss for the N-0-A-1 Star system, and the Renegades in general. Unfortunately, we do not have the time to dwell on it. We need to tighten our defenses and cover any weaknesses we currently have. I'd rather we not get hit by another Reincarnator in these unstable times. At least until a Warden is assigned to our galaxy for protection."
Everyone present nodded in agreement.
Now it was finally time for the part of the meeting Bastian had been dreading. He took a slow breath and leaned forward in his chair.
"Now let's talk about the hero of this event, Arbus Kaelen," Bastian said, turning his gaze to Nach.
He paused, then tilted his head slightly. "or would you prefer if I called him Arbus Grimm?"
"I'd prefer if you didn't," Nach replied simply with a blank expression.
"Of course. Arbus Kaelen it is, then" Bastian replied, his voice even.
He straightened up.
"According to the already confirmed reports, Arbus Kaelen was the one who managed to kill Ronin after the slaughter had concluded. Quite frankly, it's a miracle he pulled something like this off. But it seems the boy has a penchant for creating miracles." Bastian said with a small smile.
Oti's left face scoffed sharply.
"Miracle? Is that what we're calling it?"
He leaned toward Nach, his voice rising.
"Tell me, Tarokian chief.... from your experience with Reincarnators, what exactly are the chances of a low level sentry beating one?"
"None," Nach replied simply.
"Exactly!" Oti snapped, his left face twisting into a sneer. "And yet this boy managed to kill a Reincarnator. Especially one as powerful as Ronin. It's unbelievable. Simply untrue!. I believe we're not being told the full story of what happened on that planet."
"Unfortunately, I have to agree with Oti," Tera said next, ignoring Oti's frown at her "unfortunately". "The boy is a Renegade with no Heart shard and only basic training, since no one of note bothered to teach him anything. Meanwhile, Ronin was a Reincarnator who had killed over twenty High Commanders, fifty commanders, thousands of Renegades, and billions of citizens across multiple star systems and galaxies. It does seem quite impossible, doesn't it?"
Respen nodded in agreement, as he transmitted his thoughts into their minds again. "I'd have to agree with Tera on this, Mostly for the reasons we've already discussed. Somehow Ronin managed to travel across eight galaxies and a Warden's outpost to reach ours. For some reason, he attacks Terytl-b of all the planets in this Star system, and slaughters everyone there... except the human."
"Which then gave the boy enough time to come up with a perfect strategy to counter Ronin. I believe this was planned by someone, maybe as a way to make us place more trust in the boy."
"You believe Ronin willingly gave his life for someone else's plan?" Bastian said, leaning back in his chair. "I've only ever encountered him once, when I was sent to capture him. Immediately he caught sight of me, he ran faster than he had ever ran before. From that impression alone, I can tell he was someone who valued his life greatly."
Before Oti could speak again, Tristan calmly raised his hand.
"If I may. I believe the three of you are underestimating the boy quite a bit."
The room remained silent as everyone waited for him to continue.
"We all know he's still a Sentry because we didn't permit him to rise any higher. In almost every test he performed during basic training, he outperformed all his peers by a wide margin, despite their training. If I'm being completely honest, I'd say he's already at the level of a Vanguard. Especially with his inherited ability."
Bastian smiled slightly, pleased that Tristan was backing him up for this, just like always.
"Precisely. The boy has the blood of a Reincarnator flowing through his veins. While this is unfortunate for him, it is also a huge boon. His ability is passive and keeps him alive no matter what. Which means he cannot die, and cannot get tired, at least not physically."
"The fact he has the blood of a Reincarnator flowing through his veins is exactly where the problem comes from," Nach said finally through gritted teeth, breaking his silence.
He leaned forward, his voice restrained. "He's cursed. He's an abomination that should have never been born. Sharing the same blood with our enemy is not something we can simply look past, Bastian."
Bastian expression darkened.
"Abomination? That's rather harsh."
"Doesn't he share your blood as well?"
"Yes, he does," Nach said, his tone hardening with barely contained resentment. "Due to my foolish daughter's mistakes. She was charmed by that devil Joren and even helped him hide his true identity after knowing what he was."
He paused, trying his best to remain calm. "That abomination may share my blood, but he is no family of mine. He is no Tarokian, especially after he committed sins of his own."
Bastain frowned.
"That wasn't his fault. We already discussed this,"
"It matters not now," Aztec said, finally speaking up. "I agree with Oti, Tera, Nach, and Respen. While what the boy did was rather impressive, I do not believe we owe him anything. Just to be safe, we should discharge him from the Renegades and send him to live out his life on one of the less civilized moons in luxury, as his reward."
Bastian released a weary sigh, his eyes sweeping across the remaining council members.
"And what do the rest of you think about this?"
Right now, they were at a stalemate. Bastian's vote as Sentinel carried the weight of three council members. Tristan stood with him, while Aztec, Nach, Respen, and Tera opposed. The rest would tip the scales.
Iberia spoke first. He had already grown tired of this meeting, and was eager to count his losses from losing a trading hub like Terytl-b. "I agree with whatever Respen thinks. He's usually right about these things anyways. Plus, let's not forget the last time a Reincarnator half-breed joined the Renegades. I don't wish to see history repeat itself."
Bel and Zub exchanged a glance, their silence stretching for several heartbeats before Bel finally spoke.
"We do not care either way," she said, her voice flat.
"But we do recognize effort," Zub added. "We do not believe this Renegade should be judged for how he was born, but by his actions. So far, it's clear he does not side with the Reincarnators, although it could be a ruse. Until we see otherwise, we believe he should be given a chance to prove himself and advance like any other Renegade."
Bastian's smile returned after hearing that. He turned his gaze to the only one left, Umber.
Umber didn't immediately answer, instead he looked around the room, gauging everyone's expressions himself. He would be the one to determine if this would be a stalemate or not.
He remained silent for several moments, then spoke through his mask, his voice sounding raspy and cold. "As the Emperor already told us years ago, we should let the boy live how he wants, unless he proves to be a risk. I highly doubt the Emperor wanted him to be suppressed, like the council has been doing. I vote that the boy be allowed to advance, at least for now."
Bastian clapped his hands once, as the sharp sound echoed through the room. "Then it's decided. The boy will be rewarded with a promotion, as well as a few more things, at my discretion. We'll return here tomorrow to discuss our plans going forward in depth. For now, this meeting is adjourned."