Interstellar Age - #264 - 264 Setting a Trap



Three days came and went, and before Erich knew it, his new exploration ship had been retrofitted to meet Tia’s standards. Which Erich knew would be useful considering he was considered a wanted fugitive in Federation space.

So much so that the bounty on his head was worth more than some worlds. It was one thing to escape from prison and take a Grand Inquisitor captive, but to be rewarded with the status of Archon because of it? This was a level of humiliation that the Federation was not willing to tolerate. 

In fact, if it weren’t for Tia looking out for Erich behind the scenes, he would routinely have to deal with troublesome encounters with bounty hunters searching for a fortune by claiming his head. Of course, considering the fact that Tia had come up with a disguise that would fool even a sage, Erich did not have to worry too much about being captured by authorities since he was assuming the identity of a Dark Elf sage. 

With this in mind, Tia spent several hours cloning the sage who Erich had taken as a prisoner on the primitive world so that Erich’s consciousness could be transferred into the body. And it was only after she had properly trained the man to fool even a fellow Sage that Tia allowed him to take off on his journey. 

It took quite some time before Erich and the others reached the federation world, where they would capture their next target. And luckily for them, Tia had programmed their ship with a federation registration, thus they were easily able to pass through any and all checkpoints and refueling stations that they may have come across during their travels. 

Once the group was in orbit of the world, they requested a landing from the local security forces, where their ship was guided to a proper hangar. After making a flawless landing, Erich exited the ship alone. It would be up to his teammates, who were also disguised, to interrupt their meeting and kidnap both him, and the greater sage, before his identity could be revealed. 

They took up positions near the restaurant’s outside seating, where they acted as normal bystanders in order to avoid sticking out. Once everyone was in place, Erich sat down at the table and waited for his target to arrive. 

And soon enough the man in question appeared before Erich, where he greeted the man as if he were a brother, in a secret gesture that was known only to the Order, of course, Tia had long since extracted every bit of vital information from her captive that she could manage, and thus Erich was well aware of how to exchange the greeting which he did so. 

Seeing how he was truly meeting with a brother of the order, the Greater Prophet sat down in front of Erich and expressed his laments. 

“You have no idea how relieved I am that you are truly my brother and not a doppelgänger. The Dark Sage has been moving against us at rapid speed. We do not know how he has managed to locate so many of our brothers and sisters, or what their fates have been. But I for one, do not wish to disappear next….”

Erich wore a troubled expression as he acted so perfectly that he should have been given an award for his performance as he pretended to share his target’s sentiments. 

“I understand, brother, I sent you that distress beacon for a reason… The Dark Sage visited the world which I was tasked with seeking refuge in. Luckily for me, he did not manage to find me, as I hid deep within the mountains and covered my tracks well.

That is actually why I requested this meeting, so that we may discuss arrangements for my immediate transfer to the Sanctuary. Now that our enemy knows of my identity, I am no longer safe here in the Milky Way… So long as I remain in the galaxy, he will hunt me down and find me, no matter where I may hide!”

The Greater Prophet nodded his head and handed over a small device to Erich, completely unaware that he was speaking to the Dark Sage himself. When he spoke, it took all the power Erich could muster not to reveal his astonishment. 

“I understand… The safety of our order is paramount, especially in these troubling times. I figured this was why you contacted me, and have already arranged for your transfer. Another brother will take your place and monitor Asuran space on your behalf.

As for you, this recording has a star map which will lead you to the sanctuary. Once you have memorized its contents, you must destroy it! For if it were to ever fall into the hands of the Dark Sage, the fate of our entire order would be at stake…..” 

Erich forced his hands to remain calm as he grabbed hold of the device, and pocketed it before thanking his “brother” for his assistance. 

“I must thank you brother for your assistance, I truly believed I was lost… But now I know that I am saved, and I have you to thank. Until we meet again…”

Erich and the Greater Prophet immediately stood up and exchanged another secret gesture. They were just about to depart when Erich’s crew made their move. Before the greater prophet could realize what had happened, he and Erich were stunned by bystanders, and kidnapped. 

When the two of them finally awoke, they were strapped to a table within the exploration ship, where a beautiful robotic woman had a syringe in her hand that was filled with an ominous liquid. Her voice terrified the greater prophet as she spoke the words which chilled his spine. 

“Thanks to you, my Master now have the map which will lead him to your comrades. However… There is no way to know if this information is correct, and because of this, Tia will have to interrogate you. Don’t struggle… Tia promises this will not hurt in the slightest!” 

With this said, Tia injected the liquid into the Greater Prophet’s bloodstream, while injecting another substance into the body that Erich currently inhabited, killing the host, while sending Erich’s consciousness into the grid, where it would be re-downloaded onto another clone of his own body. 

Once Erich had awoken in his own body, he sighed in relief. Though he was used to dying and transferring his consciousness, he had to admit that doing so into someone else’s body felt dirty. And he was happy just to be back in his own flesh.

After getting dressed, he met with Tia, who had a wide smile on her face, as she gazed upon the star map which the Greater Prophet had given to him shortly before being kidnapped. She was quick to speak in an eager tone. She informed Erich of what she had found. 

“Master, it is a match! Tia has located the sanctuary where the bulk of the Order is taking refuge. Shall Tia contact the horde to answer the call of war?”

Erich smiled when he realized that after a long search, one that was filled with many difficulties, he had now finally found the hideout of his enemies. Thus, he nodded his head with a sadistic grin on his handsome face before responding to Tia’s question.

“Indeed… Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!”