Dear, brother. I am returning from hiding much sooner than expected, there has been a... Development, of the situation. I cannot say anymore, I need answers first. I need infiltrators. Several. Get the word out, they will be handsomely compensated for an extremely difficult task. I also need to know what granddad has been up to these past 2 weeks. I'm sure he has been harassing you and turning the various systems upside down in his efforts to find me. Between the 2 of us, he is going to find me sooner than he might expect, but we can speak of that when I arrive.

Peace and good growth, brother. With love, Eirik.

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Satisfied with the message to his brother, He thought for a while about the message to the old man. It had to be designed to lure the old man to come to him with his personal ship, preferably without escort ships either. That was only going to happen in the Sol system, around Terra. It would seem there was only 1 option.

___________________________

I know!! Cyllene, Ten days, alone!!

Eirik.

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Eirik hoped it would work. It had to. He needed the old man alone for just 2 minutes. 2 minutes where he could look him in the face when he asked him. The old man's eyes would tell!

That done, he got up from his desk, left the room, and headed towards Signe's workshop. Within a few minutes, he arrived outside the door where muffled welding and grinding could be heard. He entered the workshop and saw Signe and Jesper working on one of the siege armors.

"How's the work coming along??" He asked during a small break in the work. Taking off her welding mask and gestured to the supply room on the side that doubled as an office as Jesper continued grinding.

As they entered and closed the door she beamed at him, "It's going great Captain, should have the prototype ready in a day or 2." she was excited, but that was no surprise. If this worked, they would revolutionize military doctrine on surgical strikes, carried out by commando teams.

"I need them ready and tested as soon as possible Signe! If I am to rescue my brother's from, I presume, the Plyxii, I need speed and firepower. Firepower can be bought. The speed hinges on yours and Jesper's work!" His serious tone and demeanor threw her off for a moment before she answered in a more cool and controlled voice. "It will be ready, Captain, have no worries."

Eirik sighed deeply and sent her a thankful smile that took the sting out of his previous attitude. "Thank you, Signe, truly. I cannot express what that means to me. If you are up for a little modification work on the side, Can we integrate a shotgun attachment into the left arm of the armor? That would be a truly nasty surprise to have for anyone thinking me disarmed or unarmed."

She pondered this for a moment. "It should be possible. It will add a couple of days to the estimated completion of the project though."

"That's fine, It might be a while before I need it. I just need it to be ready, in case of.

Exchanging a few more pleasantries, Eirik soon left to go train. It was time to get serious. Nothing was going to stop him from seeing his brothers again!

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Reading through the message from Eirik, Lasse sighed before summoning messengers to get the wheels of a smuggling station rolling. He looked out the window of his office, seeing the 30 men that had passed the testing phase and were being trained. They were merely the first group, when they were done they would help raise new recruits under his cousin's guidance.

Eirik might not have said it or even hinted at it, but he was building an army from the ground up, that much was clear to see. For what reason, Lasse did not know. He didn't care either to be honest. If being the training station for Eirik's ambition meant having a constant supply of extra security, he was not going to complain.

With the right advertisement, that sort of thing could make the station the most popular smuggler station for both sides during the war. Declaring his station as the neutral ground would be a genius move. Providing both sides of the conflict with a place to rest and relax while the added security from Eirik's ambition would help keep the peace. The amount of money that could be made was potentially astronomical.

When the messengers arrived he tore his gaze away from the training recruits and looked at the 5 men in front of him.

"I want you to triple the guard, double rotations, extensive sensor sweeps, and constant patrols around all limited access areas. Then, invite infiltrators to an extremely difficult, handsomely rewarded job offer" To begin with the men had looked ready to protest, but at the mention of infiltrators, their looks changed from indignant to exhausted.

"I know," Continued Lasse, "But we need to do this. Also, I want extra eyes on any Terran ships and their crews while they are on the station. Finally, start marking Kloxna targets of opportunity in the shipping manifests. I have a feeling that Eirik might appreciate some intel when he returns. You have your orders, dismissed."

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Colonel Benny was reading through a readiness report when his private terminal received a message. Getting up from his work desk and walking over to the small desk in the corner of his office, he felt a strange sense of foreboding. As if a sixth sense was warning him of something bad. His gut feeling was usually right, so it was with some trepidation that he opened the message. The 7 words inside sent a cold shiver through his body.

How did he find out!! He had taken such care to not let anyone know while he was searching for his boys. But the Plyxii were devious. They kept moving them around, preventing his spies from pinpointing their location and giving him the knowledge to make a diplomatic demand to release them.

If Eirik had found out... Nothing would stop the boy. He would carve a path of death and destruction through the universe until he found them. He had to meet with him, try and calm him down enough that they could at least work together. But the only way to do that without appearing as guilty as he was, was to come alone.

With a sour expression on his face, he realized how well his grandson had planned this out. "I taught you a little too well, it would seem," He thought to himself. With a deep sigh, he began making preparations for the meeting on one of the moons of Jupiter.