“Arkaza? Arkaza! Lieutenant Rass, go and get the General and Lady Bell immediately. This is vital!” Jarrajod called out.

“Sir yes sir!”

Jarrajod turned, watching the man rush out of the tent while calling out for thew two leaders. With a side turn he looked back upon his monitor which now displayed both Vikram and the hologram of Arkaza, all displayed from Elise’s card.

“Best to let this record now. Dammit, what is the meaning of this callout then? Arkaza and the Hive must be working close together. This is not at all fortunate for us-”

Arkaza’s hologram hovered before Vikram, looking right down at him as the two Ghouls bowed. Elise remained in hiding, her head only slightly poking out with the card’s reader held out as well, giving a full view of the meeting at place.

“Milord- you’ll be pleased to learn that we are right on schedule. Thousands of units have been transported from this facility, and we can expect a good few tens of thousands more in the near future.”

“Your progress does not interest me so much as the interference of the Tribe does. They’ve stopped several convoys of Undead already and taken out several of our fellow Vampiric. If we are truly to take over the Earth then we are going to need something new.”

“I assure you milord, they will not be able to stop us. True a few units have been undermined but in the long run we have many more facilities that can crank out just as many units. They will not be able to keep up if we manage to unleash a hundred thousand a month.”

“And yet the Earth is not our only primary target. We need those hundred thousand across multiple worlds. Do not forget, we are a part of the Hive now- we are their major backers in expendable weaponry. Their forces are severely depleted right now until other worlds join the cause. What we produce is valuable.”

“I understand. What I don’t get yet is why we still work for those Dharkanian bastards. We have the means to take them out, surely right?!”

“They may be few in number but the Phantoms are far beyond what we are used to combating Vikram. Despite that, they are up against an entire Empire that spans dozens and dozens of worlds. We are as well. We are best off serving alongside them you see- if we are to achieve our own goals. So with that said, I will not reiterate, what we produce is of value. The Dires are especially valuable and we can not afford to lose many of them this early on. Figure it out or I will find someone more qualified to handle the task at hand.”

Vikram gulped, a slight bit of sweat visible upon his forehead as he replied, “You have nothing to worry about Arkaza, I will not fail.”

“See to it that you don’t. You know damn well what awaits you should you fail. That said, if the Tribe gets suspicious, wipe all data and destroy the facility. I want to leave nothing to chance.”

The glow of the hologram continued to fill the room, illuminating where all had hidden partially at the very least. Elise stood back, shutting the locker more, “This… this is vital- this is a bout of luck if they’re just going to keep talking.”

“I understand. Err- how is the Frostosis situation going sir?”

“Well within expectations so far. The North combined with our forces have decimated the South- and the Tribe have yet to actually step in thinking it is still just an affair of the locals. Until the shard is threatened, or until they realize the loss of Frostosis to the Hive itself, we will continue to hold the advantage. Right now we have pushed the enemy across the hemisphere and are digging deep into their own lands and seas.”

“I trust that my Dires are helping that along?”

“For now. Both Shadow and Leon are breathing down my neck to contribute more of our own might to the effort- so I am going to send some of the Mortiferis and one Executive to oversee our operations.”

“I see, very good. Perhaps you would like me to see to it milord? I have facilities already present on-”

The voices of Vikram and Arkaza went back and forth, the monitor continuing to display shakily. Now many had gathered within the communications tent. Holly and Wesley both stood side by side with Jarrajod close by. Holograms of other Generals and Advisors were also present, all looking to the screen in observation.

“So Arkaza’s forces have joined with the Hive… and they are allied to the Northern Frost Clan.”

“That would explain why they are having such trouble putting down the rebellion.”

“General Ezdorth, Lady Bell, what do you propose?”

“Shh, shut up- be silent,” Wesley grumbled.

“Wes, this is bad either way you look at it,” Holly mumbled.

“I know… Arkaza, The Hive, and the North. Hell- this is going to be a resurgence of the Hive, it won’t just be Dharkanians we have to watch out for if they win this thing. And right now the North is in control of the Temple that holds the Shard.”

“We’re going to have to act, this is beyond simple politics now. I will inform my father,” Holly stated, turning and exiting the scene.

“Bah, that damned Leon,” Wesley growled, clenching his fists.

“-and in turn, I will grant you this. See that you do not fail me, as I said. As an Executive of our forces, failure is not an option.”

“I understand.”

Arkaza stared at Vikram for a few seconds, ceasing only as the transmission was cut, the hologram disappearing immediately. This left just Vikram and the two Ghouls in the room, as far as they knew that is.

“Sir, I feel uneasy about this.”

“Neh- just do your job and everything will be fine.”

“But sir- it’s only a matter of time before the Tribe finds us. Why didn’t you let Lord Arkaza know that they already have the nearby clans and-”

“It does not matter! This- this is MY glory, MY work. I will not let my efforts be undermined by the fear of that white haired Giraffe! Without Hisan, Arkaza has no business telling me what to do!”

“Then- then why put yourself out there?”

“Because I want power, more of it. In the end when all is said and done, I will be the one standing on top. Not Arkaza, not the stupid Dharkanians, it’ll be me- the Great and Powerful Vikram Arghaust!”

“As- as you wish, sir.”

“Now then, we have more batches to produce. Time to stop wasting time. When the Tribe comes for me, I will show them what power truly is!”

His words finished, Vikram walked away, exiting through the only door that left the room. The metal doors could be heard clanging and banging as they flew open, the two Ghouls following close behind- then the crash of them closing. Silence followed for what seemed like hours, just what they had been waiting for. The locker door opened with a slight grind, the closet door creaked.

The entire group came out of hiding, stepping out near the table. Elise looked around, nodding to the rest as she pressed a button on the card, “Jarrajod are you-”

“Yes Ms. Bakuuva. I’m actually here with General Ezdorth and others now. Lady Bell was here moments ago and-”

“Enough of that,” Wesley’s voice boomed, “I’m going to inform Tony and Zoey to lay low with their teams for now. They’ll plant the explosives and maintain their status as investigative. I want your team to explore more of the facility, find anything that you can. If we attack, I know that they’ll destroy anything they have. There is no doubt more down in the depths of that building.”

“So we just need to find the secondary access since we can’t just take the elevator… shouldn’t be too hard,” Britt replied with a bit of a low murmur.

“There are more doors on the translator than there are on the old blueprints of that building. There HAS to be another way down. Find it and report back once you’re able.”

“Copy that,” Elise replied, pressing another button on the card.

Effortlessly she placed it back in a coat pocket, then turned to face her team, “Where should we start?”

“The old elevator shaft actually. It’s near the back of the building. That seems like the most obvious, right?”

“That’s a fair point. Alright, lets check that out.”

“Alright, lets do this!”

The group turned and raced, exiting right out of the door which had been left open, turning away from the metal doors back down the hallway.