FREESUN'S PAST

MISSING

Covenant carrier, Ruby Gem

Command Deck

Enthralled by his control screen, Jayden couldn't tear his eyes away. He read and reread the message, struggling to accept its reality. Relief washed over him like a tidal wave, lifting a massive burden from his shoulders. The message shimmered before him: "Sender: Elite Officer Aeria, aboard Starship Eirden. Apologies for the delayed response to Nikolai's messages. Our arrival is scheduled for Tuesday morning."

Jayden switched to the following message, his newfound elation fading fast. Olensi's escape pod was missing among the captured ones. Jayden muttered, "Trust him to slip through our fingers."

Across the room, a soft whimpering caught his attention. An officer dabbed her eyes with a silk handkerchief. Her distress gnawing at him, Jayden approached her console. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Gazing into Jayden's eyes, the officer's expression conveyed her heartache. "Nikolai still hasn't returned home... He should have arrived in Skytron thirty minutes ago."

Cold dread filled Jayden's veins as his heart's tightened with worry. "Nikolai might have had another episode and fallen unconscious."

Further sobs reached his ears as the officer sobbed, "It's even worse, Jayden. I can't locate his whereabouts, and his communicator shows no signal."

Jayden's breath caught in his throat, his hearts hammering against his ribcage. He strained to hear the words again, praying he had misheard. The cold grip of panic began to tighten around him as he glanced at the console, his thoughts a whirlwind: "I'll contact his guards." His voice held a steady determination as he said, "I'll handle it." He moved to his console, quickly dialling Elite Guard Wihan's communicator.

To his dismay, the call wasn't answered. Jayden's impatience morphed into frustration. Still, nothing, so he tried contacting Buukan, his fingers pounding against the console keys with barely contained anger.

"What's going on?" he shouted, fear lacing every word. "Why aren't they answering?"

Zico heard the outburst and hurried over. "I heard we can't locate Nikolai. Has there been any update?"

Jayden's golden eyebrows furrowed, eyelashes fluttering beneath the weight of his worry. "No...and it seems his guards are giving me the silent treatment."

Zico turned to face the damaged command screen and demanded information. "Onboard computer, locate Freesun and Elite Guards Buukan and Wuhan."

"Locating now..." A tense silence passed before it replied, "Nikolai's location is unknown; his guards are in Hangar One on the transport deck." Jayden felt light-headed and sat down heavily as cold dread poured through him. Zico was too stunned to speak.

A sudden crackle from the command computer broke their stupor: "Attention! Both guards are unconscious and injured. Medical assistance is required."

As Jayden steadied his breath and wiped the sweat from his brow, he faced Zico with determination in his eyes. "Do you think Nikolai piloted the craft himself?"

"I doubt it, but let's check the video feed," Zico suggested. Together, they observed Nikolai and his guards entering the fiery chaos of Hangar One. Flames danced around them as crafts exploded, illuminating their faces with an orange glow. Jayden gasped when he saw the two guards launched into the air by a nearby explosion.

"Can you identify Nikolai's shield?" Jayden inquired, his brow furrowed with concern.

As Zico prepared to answer, they watched in horror as Nikolai slammed into a craft on the other side of the walkway. Both Covenants winced in unison.