Raemus sat on a lonely stilerium stump, in the center of a giant, cavernous room. The walls stretched up and out for hundreds of feet all around, eventually giving way to darkness. Huge windows reached from the floor and stretched beyond sight. They were situated as the points of a compass. In a seemingly random placement, there were 16 large podiums that bore throne-like chairs, each holding a member of the Council. Beneath the single metal stump, there was a tarnished, circular grate that measured 4 feet across and sat decaying under a film of muck. Under the grate was darkness, with an occasional faint dripping sound from down below. A single, white light shone down from the depths of the ceiling that illuminated Raemus but offered nothing for the corners of the room. Raemus sat, hunched over, with his head down as he was looking at the floor. The torso portion of his uniform had been removed and he sat, half-naked, before them all. His mottled skin was normally a jigsaw puzzle of assorted flesh tones, but today it was splashed with bruises, cuts, and drying blood. He was breathing heavily—a deep pant mixed with the rattle of exhaustion. The smell of copper and perspiration enveloped him. Two blank-faced Nomans, who assisted with his correction, lumbered mindlessly out of the chamber. Raemus heard their hulking steps and soft, rumbling groans as they left. As he watched his blood dripping onto the grate and into the nothingness below, he reviewed the past 24 hours in his mind: Gellar Elias had flown his transport ship from Dome Calimbus to a nearby dock station in order to transfer to a light-drive frigate. From the station, he would travel to Septin and then to The Core. He assumed that since he had exposed Emilio Sanchez, he would have no reason to hide. He needed only to perfect his story for the Council and hope that he could remove himself from the problem. Elias had never spoken to the Council, or any of their representatives, but he was confident that he could lie his way through his debriefing. He was unaware that, as soon as he passed through the Transportation Arch after exiting his transport, the Arch's Nanscan technology had detected anomalies in both his nanomachine chemistry and electromagnetic output. By the time Raemus had finally made it to the station, Elias was already on a frigate out of the station. Raemus was on the station only briefly when he heard an urgent Comm-notice from Central Core. It barked out over the station's communication grid: "Elite Officer Raemus, your presence is required before the Council and you are expected to report immediately," the notice said. "Shit," said Raemus. He ushered past the mindless Nomans and lesser Genetians, towards a Comm-station near the center of the station. The Comm-station was a flush, flat screen with a keyboard that jutted from underneath. A speaker was installed next to the screen, both installed neatly in the stilerium wall. The Comm-station was equipped with a silence cage to eliminate excess noise and provide a sterile speaking environment. As the screen flashed and brought up the image of a young woman, he could feel the electricity of the cage activate and the din of the station fade away. Raemus' forearm hair stood on end. When he spoke, his voice sounded like it was in a small box. "Identification: Captain Raemus-Elite Officer of Dome Calimbus-requesting specification of a recent Council communication," he said stoically. The woman on the screen was young and attractive, with grey hair and alabaster skin. Her pupils were different colors, one blue and one white, denoting her station and purpose. She lowered her eyes and Raemus could hear the blips and bleeps of computer acknowledgments. She returned her plastic gaze to Raemus and said "Captain Raemus, the Council requests your presence immediately regarding the situation concerning two Noman Drivers, Sanchez and Elias. It appears that Gellar Elias is your priority at this time. The Council is displeased with your insolence, and further, inability to recover Driver Elias at the appropriate time. 'Your tools are plenty and your ways are minimal'. I have arranged a light transport for you at this station. It leaves in five minutes." The screen blipped into a horizontal white line and faded out. Raemus heard the noise of the station coming back and his hair relaxed as the silence cage faded away. "Shit." Raemus sighed. Raemus pulled out his chronometer and bit his lower lip. He felt that he had to choose between capturing Elias or returning to Genetia and appearing before the Council. He turned away from the screen and headed toward the docking station, thinking about how he would kill Elias once he reached Septin. Bringing his attention back to the present, Raemus watched his blood as it dripped onto the metal grate and listened to the silence crescendo inside his head. The Council had not said a word for what seemed like forever. He heard a whoosh of air and boot steps began approaching him from behind. He turned to look and saw his Co-Officers Kadrin and Anderson. They both looked like shit; almost as bad as he did. Raemus was about to stand when he heard a booming voice fill the hall. In typical fashion, one who was received in this chamber never knew whose voice was being heard. There were 16 forms, sitting in the darkness, but none seemed to act according to the words being spoken. "Captain Raemus, you and your Officers were ordered to return here to Genetia to review your mishandling of the escaped Drivers. You have disobeyed those orders and are now addressed and corrected accordingly. We expect immediate results when our orders are given. If you do not act accordingly thus forward, you, and all your progeny, will suffer in a life-extruding device for an indefinite amount of time. We have provided you the freedom of your mind so that we may all share in a common, familial life-flow. It is a gift that can be rescinded, child. We will not accept any deviation from the orders we give you. That is a freedom you will never have." "You will now go, with your brothers, to the holding facility in the northeast pylon and retrieve the captive from his place of darkness. You will then give him to the light. Emilio Sanchez has taken a shuttle into uncharted space, is presently being tracked, and is not an immediate concern. It appears that whatever multi-cellular reactions are taking place inside Sanchez , they do not appear to be accelerating as Gellar’s. You will address the problem of Gellar Elias immediately." The voice then fell silent. The word "immediately" echoed with warm and washed reverberation inside the chamber for a few moments. Raemus swallowed hard and pulled himself up from the stump. His legs briefly shuddered under his weight but began supporting him faithfully after a moment. A female's voice began to swell and fill the chamber, "Be mindful of your actions, Raemus. And remember that we love you." Raemus looked up into darkness and looked at each of the mysterious, gargoyle-like shapes. He responded in the same way a child would respond to a parent after they had been disciplined, thick with contempt. "I love you too." The three Officers turned and shuffled out of the chamber and, as the doors shut silently behind them, Raemus said to Kadrin and Anderson, "We are taking two hours to rest and repair ourselves. Then, to the northeast pylon to retrieve that son of a bitch, Elias. He'll get his light, alright." He gritted his teeth as he fantasized about what he was going to do to the fallen Driver. As they entered the magnalift and descended away from the Council Hall, Raemus' eyes glazed over and darkness spread across his face. He activated his communicator and requested that an FPC to be made ready for flight. "FPC...? Where are we going, Raemus?" asked Anderson. "It's a surprise." frowned Raemus.