Chapter 562: Capturing the Traitor

Lyra fired her pulse rifle to drop a sniper perched on an upper catwalk, then holstered the gun to draw her short blades. Demonic fire erupted from her hands to engulf the weapons. Bounding off a nearby wall, she plunged her blazing swords into the chest of a massive mecha-enforcer to melt its core instantly.

The crew tore through the facility with absolute dominance, overwhelming the ancient defenses and the mutineers in a matter of minutes. Kylus led the final charge down the central hallway toward the command room and swung his thermal cutter to melt the locking mechanism of the reinforced door.

Rin kicked the door open to reveal a large room containing only one man.

The traitor huddled in the corner behind the main console, clutching a plasma pistol with trembling hands as his eyes darted frantically between the towering figures of the crew. Reva stepped into the room and flicked the blood off her talons while Lyra walked in right beside her with blades still dripping orange fire.

"Put the gun down," Rin ordered, pointing his silver-lit sword at the mutineer's throat. "The captain wants you alive."

The traitor dropped the pistol and surrendered without a fight.

Lyra smirked and nudged Reva with her shoulder. "I killed twenty-four. You only got twenty-two."

"You shot the snipers from a distance," Reva countered while crossing her arms. "Close-quarters combat counts for more points."

Kylus walked over to grab the mutineer by the collar and haul him to his feet. "You can argue about the reward outside. Let us drag this rat back to Xavier."

Kylus dragged the mutineer up the crater and tossed him onto the grass near Xavier. The captain opened his eyes and pushed himself off the ground.

"Bring him to the holding cell on the Strider," Xavier ordered. "We will break him there."

The crew boarded the ship and strapped the traitor to a reinforced steel chair inside the interrogation room.

Xavier walked in and stood directly in front of the captive. Kylus leaned against the bulkhead with his thermal cutter ignited, eager to sever a limb. Viola, Requiem, Lyra, and Reva surrounded the perimeter to cut off any hope of escape.

Xavier did not ask a single question. He simply raised his hand and pointed his index finger at the traitor's left leg. With a flick of his wrist, an invisible, crushing gravitational force slammed into the man's knee.

The joint snapped backward with a sickening crack.

The mutineer shrieked in agony and thrashed against his metal restraints. Tears and snot streamed down his dirt-caked face.

"That was for making me wait," Xavier said. He lowered his hand and locked his star-forged eyes onto the captive. "Now, tell me everything about Bull's vaults and the fragment."

The traitor gasped for breath. "Go to hell... the Empire will—"

Xavier pointed his finger again. He targeted the man's right hand. The unseen pressure crushed the fingers together until the knuckles shattered into a mangled, bloody mess.

"Okay! Stop!" The traitor sobbed uncontrollably as the pain broke his resolve. "We took the mothership after we abandoned Bull. We cracked the main drive and accessed all his encrypted data. We tracked his entire history, found the coordinates to every planet he ever visited, and looted all his hidden treasure vaults spread across the galaxies."

Xavier stepped closer. "Where is the final vault? Where did you put the fragment?"

The mutineer hesitated, his eyes darting frantically around the room. "If I tell you... you have to promise to let me live."

Xavier gave a brief nod to Kylus.

The Aurelian stepped forward and swung his superheated thermal cutter. The blade sheared cleanly through the traitor's crushed right hand, severing it at the wrist while instantly cauterizing the stump.

A fresh wave of bloodcurdling screams echoed through the small room. The traitor completely lost his mind under the relentless agony.

"We moved it all!" the mutineer yelled, desperately trying to pull his mutilated arm away from Kylus. "We consolidated the looted credits, the artifacts, and the fragment into the most secure location in the universe. It is on Vandermis Aventine."

He coughed up a mouthful of blood and continued rambling in sheer panic. "It is the universal bank hub. The absolute center of galactic tourism, entertainment, and wealth. The entire planet operates as a highly fortified paradise for the richest elites in the cosmos. A coalition of the top military factions handles the planetary security."

Xavier turned to look at Lyra and Reva. The girls shrugged, completely unfamiliar with the name.

'Why are they acting like someone just died?' Lyra wondered as she noticed the sudden, suffocating silence radiating from the rest of the crew.

Viola dropped her data pad. The device clattered against the floor plating. Requiem tightened his skeletal grip on his greatsword until his mechanical joints groaned under the strain. Kylus deactivated his thermal cutter as his opalescent skin turned entirely pale. Genuine dread replaced his vengeful anger.

Xavier noticed the severe shift in the room and turned to face his older crew members.

"I take it you three know this place," Xavier said.

Kylus finally found his voice, his words laced with a deep, unsettling fear. "Captain... Vandermis Aventine is an impenetrable fortress disguised as a utopia. Robbing a vault on that planet is literal suicide."

Xavier glanced at the terrified veterans and then turned his attention back to the bleeding captive. The reputation of Vandermis Aventine meant absolutely nothing to him.

"Suicide or not, I am taking that fragment," Xavier stated. He pointed his finger directly at the traitor's chest. "Give me the operational details. How exactly do we get inside this impenetrable vault?"

The mutineer coughed violently and shook his head. "You cannot. The vault sits beneath the Grand Casino of Vandermis Aventine. The entire sub-level is an automated death trap run by private military contractors."

Xavier curled his fingers inward. A concentrated gravitational force slammed into the traitor's ribcage. Two ribs snapped with a sharp crack.

The man howled in agony and thrashed wildly against the steel chair. Blood spilled from his lips as he struggled to breathe.

"Details," Xavier repeated.