ORIGIN

Conflictive

Tetrona was on the other side of Nebulis, which was opposite of where the Brigade outpost used to be. The two opposite sides of Nebulis didn't get along because of political unrest. Tetrona was considered a good hiding place because of its expensive security. But to be safe, the rescue mission would have to be a two-man job. They docked the ship on a small hangar that had fueling stations and entered one of the larger colonies, which was part of a cluster of them all connected through interwoven commute tunnels. Everybody laid low at one of the lodges while Circuit and Blake entered one of the more luxurious living complexes on that particular compound. The security was tight but they knew Blake. They knew he worked for the Star Brigade so they were cordial. Parts of the colony were rich communities. They looked like giant bubble clusters designed to simulate the landscapes and atmospheres of different planets. Blake and Circuit made their way through a highly trafficked central point outside an expensive network of secured living quarters near the nucleus of the bubble.

When they got to the community they were looking for, Blake looked anxious as he took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He knocked on the door. A teenage boy opened the door. He smiled at Blake and they hugged for a while. Blake introduced Circuit to his son. His wife later came and everybody ended up in a plush dining room at the table waiting for a maid to serve them food. Blake and his son were catching up. They laughed and joked around. Halfway through the meal, which was Nebulisian seafood, the conversation took a more serious turn.

Blake was trying to get his wife to understand that if they didn't leave Tetrona with him they would be in danger. But Blake's wife obviously put a lot of confidence in Tetrona. She and her son had gotten very comfortable with their posh lifestyle on the space colony and, unfortunately, the absence of Blake. The conversation got a little heated when Blake couldn't convince his wife to leave despite his sincere and endearing efforts. Even Circuit tried to interject with the point that when corrupt Star Brigade officials found out about Blake's current stand with the Origin Project, their lives would be in serious danger.

Blake and his wife started to argue. As the argument grew more aggressive, Circuit began to get nervous. He knew that he and Blake were being watched by the colony's armed security. And he knew they cooperated with the Star Brigade, which made him even more nervous, as Blake and his stubborn wife started to scream loud enough to be heard outside. Suddenly, Blake's son, clearly agitated, stood up at the table. He looked at his father indignantly and said: "Stop this! Dad, how can you just come here expecting us to listen to you all of a sudden? This is the first meal you've had with us in ten years! We've heard all the stories about your crooked ties with outlaw bands! It's not a secret! And now you come here like Mr. Hero; telling us we're in danger!? You created this whole situation. And to add insult, you probably don't even know how I've been doing in school or how mom worried about your whereabouts 'til she needed medicine for the stress! To tell the truth, I rather die on this colony than live on the run with a deadbeat." After that, the boy left the room. Blake's wife stood up and asked Blake to leave. He tried to reason with them one last time but they weren't having it. Finally, after he was pleading with them almost to the point of tears, Blake's wife started to alert security over her wrist gadget, but Circuit stopped her. Circuit had to make Blake leave before one of the armed guards arrived. 

Circuit and Blake eventually ended up back on the ship with Bio and everyone else, but not before Blake got into an altercation with a group of security guards just outside the living quarters. Blake ended up in a tussle with one of them. The guard ended up reporting the fight to a low-rank Star Brigade space station patrol unit. Without their knowledge, Bio's ship had been marked by a drone just outside of the space station.

Some days later, everyone found out about the attack on Citadel while they were on their way there. No one took the news easily, especially Ato and Oasis. Oasis was distraught beyond comfort and even Bio and Ato broke down. Though it felt beyond belief, they just knew Ezrith, Akira, Storm, Max and most of the ghost agents had to be dead or repurposed by now. It was like starting all over again. The hope of Origin Project's cause was dead and they had no direction. To make things worse, Blake Austere later found out that corrupt Brigade operatives had kidnapped his wife and son. For all he knew, they were probably already dead too.