Chapter 16: Confession
Secondary Characters
Lena Korva (Ex-Caspian Combine Intelligence Director)
As the disgraced former Director of Combine Intelligence, Lena Korva is the ruthless spymaster and "digital phantom" orchestrating the conspiracy in Cygnus. Projecting an aura of severe elegance and calm, she is a master of psychological warfare and digital traps, but beneath this polished exterior lies a volatile and paranoid tyrant. Scapegoated after the Erden affair, she is driven by a burning desire for revenge against the Combine leadership and an obsession with rebuilding her shadow empire. Viewing the galactic war as a mere stage for cynical elites on both sides, she masterminds the false-flag plot to regain control of the lucrative cloning "institute" and prove that true power transcends government loyalties. As the architect of the hunt for Sean and Ruby, she represents a chillingly competent and deeply personal threat born from the sins of the last war.
A Whisper in the Static
The escape had cost them time they didn't have. In the aftermath, Sean and Ruby vanished, melting into the glittering anonymity of Cygnus. They separated, knowing their physical proximity was a liability. The 48-hour audit clock had been a lie, but the hunt was real. They were ghosts again, haunted by a conspiracy that wore the faces of their own colleagues.
Their new language was written in the heart of a storm. On a low-security public forum for amateur meteorologists, their messages were hidden via steganography where no one would think to look. A few kilobytes of encrypted data woven into the color gradient of a satellite image of a cyclone; a plan of action concealed in the subtle pixel variations of a pressure front over the southern islands. It was a whisper in the static, a fragile thread in a web of digital surveillance.
From their separate shadows, they waged a two-front war. Ruby, from within the embassy, used her high-level access to subtly redirect the internal audit, feeding the investigators corrupted data trails that led to dead ends and rival factions, expertly muddying the waters. Sean, operating from a series of untraceable databanks rented on the black market, used brute-force algorithms to scrub his own ghost from the Combine network, fighting a desperate battle against the system he once served. They were sanitizing the watch list, one corrupted file at a time.
It was Sean who found the nest. Buried deep in the metadata of Kael’s chip was a seemingly innocuous file: a geological survey of a private resort villa on one of Cygnus’s outer islands. But the survey’s power grid schematics showed an anomalous energy draw from a sub-basement that didn't officially exist. It was the same energy signature he’d seen before. The ghost.
He couldn't risk a remote probe; the enemy was watching for digital ripples. A physical approach was the only option. Two days later, a man named "Mr. Sterling," a wealthy investor with a portfolio in high-security private acquisitions, arrived at the villa for a tour. Sean played the part perfectly, his questions about offshore data havens and secure bunkers fitting the profile of a paranoid tycoon.
The villa manager was polished, his smile unwavering, but the security was too heavy. Guards moved with a soldier's discipline, and the air hummed with the low thrum of industrial power that no luxury resort should possess. After a tour of the pristine grounds, the manager led him toward the main house.
"Our primary partner is eager to discuss the property's... unique potential," the manager said smoothly. "She handles all our special acquisitions."
He opened a heavy, sound-proofed door into a minimalist office. Seated behind a polished obsidian desk, a cup of tea steaming gently beside her, was Lena Korva, the disgraced ex-Director of Combine Intelligence.
Her smile was a bloodless line, devoid of all warmth. She gestured to the chair opposite her.
"Captain Walker," she said, her voice like shattered ice. "We've been expecting you."
An Offer of Remedy
Lena Korva’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. It was a predatory curve on a face accustomed to wielding absolute power. "Captain Walker," she began, her voice a low purr that did nothing to warm the chilled air of the office. "Your business suit is a poor disguise. I've been looking forward to this meeting. Ever since our institute was... disrupted."
She took a slow sip of her tea. "We’ve been hunting the ghosts responsible. Our AI analysis provided a short list, of course. Major Rostova, Colonel Volkov, a certain Dr. Kael..." She paused, her gaze pinning him to his chair. "But your signature was everywhere. You were always at the top of the list. We watched your every move, Captain. We compromised your dead. We even back-traced the decryption of Kael’s little gift. The moment you unlocked it, you confirmed our suspicions."
Sean’s heart hammered against his ribs, but he kept his face a mask of bored indifference. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, his tone flat. "I just want to shift my career and become a resort‑villa investor after leaving the army. Your AI seems to be suffering from illusions. Perhaps it needs a major refit."
Korva’s smile tightened. "Don't insult my intelligence by appealing to vanity. I have been running deep state networks on both sides for years. I can influence people you can't even imagine. The war is a stage, Captain, a cover for men of vision to maintain power. And our institute," she leaned forward, "is the cash cow that funds it all. A resource the elites on both sides are desperate to re-establish. Now, you’ve become a loose end. A target for elimination."
She let the words hang in the air, then offered a placid, almost generous shrug. "But I am prepared to offer a remedy. Tell me what is inside the Kael chip and identify any associates who might discover our business. Find out who blackmailed us by exposing our VIP clients. Help us find Dr. Volkov's key assistants—they vanished after the institute's collapse and are vital to our work. In return, you get to live."
Sean forced a calculating look into his eyes, feigning a shift from ignorance to avarice. "I never underestimate your power, especially given your long tenure as the Combine Intelligence Director. I was never much for patriotism. I don't mind working for the deep states, as long as my cut is generous. I suspect that your adversary is attempting to mislead you. As for Kael, he just gave me a few investment tips for the black market. Nothing more."
The cold smile on Korva's face finally vanished. "Don't play games with me anymore, Captain," she said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. She snapped her fingers.
A section of the far wall slid open with a pneumatic hiss, revealing a small, harshly lit room. Ruby was strapped to a chair, her mouth sealed with silver tape, her eyes wide with a mixture of fury and fear. Standing behind her, a monstrous silhouette, was General Valerius.
He grinned, a grotesque motion on his scarred face. "Hello, my high commander's secret agent," he sneered. "Long time no see."
Korva’s gaze was triumphant. "Your partner has confessed everything. So cooperative. She was caught trying to meet Kael again. Asking for another 'investment tip,' perhaps?" She stood, her patience finally shattering, the calm negotiator replaced by the tyrant beneath. Her voice rose to a raw shout that echoed in the sterile room.
"Now, you will tell me what was on that chip! You will tell me everything! Or I will personally send wreaths to both of your funerals."
The Voss Gambit
For a split second, the world went white at the edges. Seeing Ruby bound and gagged sent a wave of hot, black rage through Sean that nearly overwhelmed him. But then, cold logic cut through. Korva was still asking questions. If Ruby had truly confessed, they wouldn't need him. This was a bluff. A brutal, theatrical bluff. His own panic subsided, replaced by a chilling clarity. He had one goal: save Ruby first.
He let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Her? You can't be serious." He gestured dismissively toward the hidden room. "She's a low-level diplomat, a dumb blonde trying to impress her superiors by playing spy. I've been feeding her sanitized, often false, intelligence for months to maintain my cover. She knows nothing." He leaned forward, feigning sincerity. "Let her go. She's a nobody. I'm the asset you want."
Korva’s lips curved into that same predatory smile. "How utterly fascinating. When we interrogated your partner and gave her your name, she spun a remarkably similar tale. In her version, you were the handsome, reckless fool she was manipulating for a promotion, and she asked me to leave you alone." She tapped a finger on the polished desk. "So, which is it, Captain? Who is the puppet, and who is the master? It doesn't matter. If one of you cannot prove your value to me in the next five minutes, I have no reason to keep either of you breathing."
Sean took a slow, deliberate breath, closing his eyes for a moment as if in surrender. This was a classic prisoner's dilemma, designed to make them betray each other. "Understood," he said, opening his eyes. "I'll cooperate. But let her go first. Her disappearance will trigger a full-scale Federation investigation that you don't need. Keep me. I'll get you what you —down to the very bottom."
"I think you still fail to grasp the situation," Korva replied, her voice losing its patient edge. "Neither of you leaves this villa alive until I have verified what you tell me. Your five minutes are almost up."
Sean knew it was the truth. Even if he talked, they were loose ends. He had to create a new path, a thread she would be forced to follow, if only for a while. He needed to buy time. He needed a better lie. He dredged up a ghost from his own past.
"Alright," he said, his voice firm and steady, all traces of his earlier ploys gone. "You're right. I've been lying." He met her gaze. "Kael’s chip didn't point to you. It pointed to a disgraced Combine officer: Captain Eric Voss."
Korva’s expression flickered with faint recognition.
"After the fall of Aethelgard, he vanished," Sean continued, weaving truth and fiction into a seamless narrative. "According to the intel Kael provided, Voss has stolen an important asset from Erden—an asset that contains the intel you’re after. He's been trying to sell it on the black market ever since." Sean leaned in, delivering the hook. "A buyer in Cygnus approached me to broker the deal. If you can find Voss, let me talk to him. He was my CO. He's arrogant and greedy. I can persuade him to give you exactly what you want."
Korva stared at him, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. The story was plausible. It accounted for the missing data and introduced a tangible target. It was a lead she couldn't afford to ignore.
"I will find him," she said slowly, "no matter how deep he has buried himself. And if I discover you are lying to me, Captain..." she let the threat hang, unfinished. She turned to the open doorway. "Lock them up."
Valerius stepped forward, a cruel grin on his face, and pulled the tape from Ruby's mouth. As guards hauled her from the chair, her eyes, filled with a terrifying combination of fury and trust, locked with Sean's. She didn't speak. She didn't have to.
Sean had just thrown them a lifeline, but he'd tied it to a ghost. And now, they had to pray Korva could not find him.
---
A Silent Confession
They were thrown into the same cell. A sterile cube of cold concrete and recycled air, watched by the single, unblinking red eye of a surveillance camera. They knew every word, every sigh, was being monitored.
Sean spoke first, his voice hollow, performing for their audience. "I'm sorry, Ruby. I never should have let this happen."
"You didn't," she replied, her voice equally devoid of life. "We each made our own moves. Let's just hope they get what they want." She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.
"It's cold," Sean said, his gaze fixed on the camera. "Let's sit down. Out of the draft." He gestured to the corner directly beneath the camera mount—a classic surveillance blind spot. Ruby understood immediately.
They settled on the floor, their backs to the wall, their bodies huddled together as if for warmth. It was a plausible act, two defeated prisoners seeking comfort. In the shadows of the blind spot, Sean took her hand. It was cold, but his palm was warm, a small point of life in the sterile chill. He squeezed it gently, and then his thumb began to move, tapping a silent, rhythmic language into her skin.
Why Kael alone? Call me. The taps were sharp, an accusation wrapped in concern.
Her fingers tightened around his, her own response a frantic, almost desperate rhythm against his palm. Time sensitive. Couldn't risk you. She paused, then tapped again, her own question forming. Why probe villa alone?
His thumb moved slowly this time. Same as you. Had to buy time.
A wave of understanding passed between them, a shared, reckless desire to shield the other.
Plan? she tapped.
His response was a long, steady pressure. Figuring. Whatever happens, I’ll be with you.
Tears pricked at the back of Ruby's eyes. In the cold, concrete box, with death as their most likely future, that simple promise was everything. Her own fingers answered, firm and resolute. Same. Life or death.
A long silence settled between them, broken only by the hum of the ventilator. Their hands remained clasped, a silent conversation of their own. Then, Ruby took a shuddering breath. Her thumb began to move again, hesitant at first, then with a quiet, heartbreaking certainty.
When still have chance. Want to confess.
She squeezed his hand, a soft, final emphasis. With you. Till end. No matter path.
A single, hot tear escaped her eye, tracing a path down her cheek and falling onto the back of his hand. He felt the warmth of it, a stark contrast to the cold in the cell. He turned his head, his gaze finding hers in the dim light. Her eyes, so often guarded and analytical, were now wide with a raw, unguarded vulnerability.
He squeezed her hand back, his own message firm, a vow. Till end. Path ours.
A visible wave of relief washed over her, a tension she didn't know she was holding finally releasing. Her body sagged against his, her head finding the curve of his shoulder as if it were made to rest there. The exhaustion of the last few days, the adrenaline of the chase, the terror of their capture—it all fell away. In the shadow of the unblinking eye, monitored by enemies who wanted them dead, she felt safe for the first time in days. Her breathing deepened, and she fell asleep.
Sean didn't move. He just sat there, the weight of her against him, her hand still in his, a silent sentinel in the heart of the storm.
---
The Captain's Ghost
Morning came not with light, but with the percussive slam of a fist on their cell door. "Get up," a guard barked. "We found Voss."
Sean's head snapped up from where he'd been feigning sleep against the wall. So fast, he thought, a cold dread mixing with surprise. Either Korva's network is as good as she boasts, or Voss is an idiot who never learned how to hide.
They were marched back to the sterile office. A life-sized holographic image of Captain Eric Voss flickered in the center of the room. He was haggard, his face pale with terror, a pistol held to his temple by one of Korva's agents. He was in what looked like a cheap apartment, not far from the villa according to the geo-tag on the display. When his eyes landed on Sean, they widened in disbelief.
"Walker? What the hell? You were supposed to be Sironan dust!"
Sean ignored the outburst, playing his part for Korva. "Plans change, Captain," he said, his voice even. "I'm representing a buyer. A very motivated buyer for the... asset... you secured in Erden. I understand you've had difficulty finding a discreet market."
Voss’s fear was instantly eclipsed by his greed. "A buyer? How much are they offering?"
A new voice, sharp as ice, cut through the transmission. It was Korva, speaking into a hidden microphone. "A most generous offer you cannot refuse, Captain Voss: your life."
Voss's face fell. "What? This is robbery!"
The agent behind him didn't hesitate, slamming Voss’s head onto the table. A knife flashed, the point hovering over the back of Voss's hand. He screamed. "Okay! Okay! It's in the basement! The safe in the basement! Just don't take it all, leave something for me!"
Korva nodded to an aide, who relayed the order. For several agonizing minutes, the only sound was Voss's pathetic whimpering. Then, a voice crackled through Korva's earpiece. She listened, her expression slowly twisting from triumph to cold fury.
The agent's voice echoed faintly into the room. "Ma'am, the safe is open. There's no datapad. No hard drives. It's just... jewelry, gold bars, and old Erden artifacts."
Korva’s eyes narrowed, fixing on the terrified man in the hologram. "Voss. You have five seconds to tell me where the data cache is."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" he shrieked. "That's everything! I swear!"
He was telling the truth. Sean knew his gambit was about to collapse, taking them all with it. He had to double down.
"He's not lying," Sean interjected calmly. Korva's furious gaze snapped to him. "He's just a gofer; he doesn't have the clearance to understand what he was stealing. The intel isn't on a drive. It's in the artifacts."
He let the statement hang in the air before continuing, inventing the lie as he spoke. "It's an Erden cipher. Steganography. The data is encoded into the molecular structure of the artifacts themselves. It's designed to be invisible, to look like simple loot to anyone who doesn't know what they're looking for."
He delivered the hook. "Kael's chip contained the decryption protocols. Ambassador Vance recognized the method. She is the only person in this room who knows how to extract the information you want."
Korva stared at him, then at Ruby, her mind clearly processing this new, infuriatingly plausible complication. The lie was perfect: it explained the empty basement while transforming Ruby from a disposable liability into an essential asset.
"Both of you?" Korva asked, suspicion warring with avarice.
"Both of us," Sean confirmed. "I get Voss to cooperate. She gets you the data. We'll need access to his site and the artifacts."
Korva was silent for a long moment. "His apartment is not far," she finally conceded. "You have two hours. Go there, get me what I want, and bring it back. My best team will be escorting you." She gestured to the guards. "If this is another one of your tricks, Captain, the wreaths I send to your funerals will be the last thing you ever see."
---
The Price of a Gambit
General Valerius radiated a smug confidence as he led his security team, with Sean and Ruby in tow, toward the armored transport at the villa's main gate. He believed he was still in control. He was wrong.
The first siren was a faint, distant wail. Then another joined it, and another, converging from all directions. Within seconds, the manicured grounds of the resort were bathed in the flashing red and blue of a dozen Cygnus police cruisers blocking the exit. The lead officer's voice boomed over a loudspeaker, sharp and amplified. “Drop your weapons! Release the ambassador now!”
Valerius stepped out of the transport, his face a mask of arrogant fury. “This is private property!” he roared. “I am a security consultant escorting a VIP guest! Leave now, unless you have a warrant!”
Kael materialized behind the police officer. "Captain," he said urgently, "they're the gang that kidnapped the ambassador. She was supposed to meet me at the café to discuss the repatriation of cultural artifacts project."
The officer showed Vlaerius the warrant and added, gesturing towards Kael, "This gentleman provided ample video evidence to secure this warrant." Checkmate. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, Valerius’s team surrendered without a fight.
As officers swarmed the compound, securing the conspirators, Sean brushed past one of the tactical officers. “Get a radiation team,” he whispered, his voice low and urgent. “My gear detected abnormal radioactive signatures in the sub-basement. You’ll want to see what’s down there.”
Nearby, Ruby approached Kael. “You saved us,” she said, her voice filled with genuine gratitude.
Kael offered a thin, weary smile. “Mutual benefit. If they hadn’t grabbed you, I couldn’t justify the warrant to raid this place.” He adjusted his glasses, his gaze distant. “We will likely have more ‘projects’ in the future. Take care.” He gave a curt nod and was gone, leaving Ruby to ponder the terrifying competence of the man who had played the perfect, terrified pawn.
The next day, Cygnus was alight with the news. Headlines praised the “Brave Federation Diplomat Who Took Down the rogues in the Combine and Sirona.” To the media, Ruby spun a masterful tale of coercion and escape, a version of the truth that protected both Sean and Kael, their true source of her intelligence. Korva and Valerius were charged with kidnapping and the illegal smuggling of nuclear materials. The network they commanded was, for now, decapitated.
From the shadows, Sean sent a tip to the Erden embassy with the location of Voss’s apartment. A few days later, a quiet, encrypted note arrived for Sean from an untraceable source. It contained only five words.
Recovered losses secured. Debt deepened.
-Rask
There were no parades for Sean, no medals—just the grim satisfaction of a debt partially repaid and a new one incurred.
He and Ruby were safe, for now. But Korva’s taunts about a vast, cross-factional "deep state" echoed in their minds. Was it a bluff, or had they merely cut off one head of the hydra? The larger threat remained a shadow on the horizon. And closer, more personal, was the certainty of Mira Kane, whose network of "generous donors" had been exposed. Her revenge would not be a matter of if, but when. The gambit in Cygnus was over, but the war, they knew, had just begun.
Scene from this Chapter:
Scene of The Interrogation
Korva’s lips curved into that same predatory smile. "How utterly fascinating. When we interrogated your partner and gave her your name, she spun a remarkably similar tale. In her version, you were the handsome, reckless fool she was manipulating for a promotion, and she asked me to leave you alone." She tapped a finger on the polished desk. "So, which is it, Captain? Who is the puppet, and who is the master? It doesn't matter. If one of you cannot prove your value to me in the next five minutes, I have no reason to keep either of you breathing."
Scene of The Interrogation
Her thumb began to move again, hesitant at first, then with a quiet, heartbreaking certainty.
"When still have chance. Want to confess."
She squeezed his hand, a soft, final emphasis. "With you. Till end. No matter path."
|