Arriving at Jelq aboard a chartered ship, they discover the system in chaos with battles scattered throughout the region. There is news that the Church Navy has been absorbed into the sector military and that General Grigg has just been appointed sector military commander.

 

Iris gets on the radio and raises a contact, the Selosian fleet commander, Ritmo Beete and asks for safe passage. Commander Beete is happy to see her and readily agrees. 

 

Next, Preem uses a secure channel to contact who he believes is the Dow Saffer herself. A message comes back reading "You have begun the trials in darkness, now the Light shows you the way. Follow your heart as it is the heart of Truth. Come to the Focus of Light to see your way forward." The Focus of Light is a sanctuary in the Eternal Light Cathedral, where the Dow worships. The team tell the charter pilot to land at the cathedral. 

 

They make their way to the Focus of Light, behind a massive stained glass depiction of Inthex preaching to the masses. There they find Saffer, alone praying. They ask their questions, however, Saffer is less than forthcoming. She does not deny being the impetus of Clarissa's "bad luck" but not much else is disclosed. 

 

Preem tells her he has hidden away General Exo and Saffer tells him to bring her here, to her. He agrees. As they turn to leave, Iris probes Saffer's mind. There is no defense offered and Iris "sees" everything. 

 

Over a decade ago, Saffer was visited by the Dow Esum II, who lived 300 years ago. She had travelled forward through time, using an artifact found on the planet Rubieta. She warned Saffer of her assassination in the year 3204. Her death would herald the downfall of the Church. Esum told her to destroy the artifact, which would be left for her on Rubieta. The artifact, she said would be the cause of her death.

 

Saffer retrieved the artifact, shortly before the mysterious destruction of Rubieta. For the last 10 years, she's been learning to use the artifact to seek out her enemies and destroy them. 

 

Iris also saw that Clarissa's research was halted at the Dow's orders to stop it from being used to counter the anti-Gate drug attack on Jelq. Her research, had it been completed would be able to pinpoint the molecule that does the work in the anti-Gate drug. Saffer wants the elite of Jelq taken out of the picture. She needs the Selosian plan to work. 

 

Using a data stick given to him by the Dow, Preem commandeers a sleek, extremely fast ship. They arrive four systems away at Pital 1 in 3 days, retrieve Exo and head back to Jelq.

 

During the return trip they talk to Exo who seems to support their suspicion that Saffer is dangerous and needs to be removed. Eventually, she agrees to act in concert with them to kill Saffer. 

 

At Jelq, Exo and Preem meet Saffer in the Focus of Light. Preem attempts to snatch the artifact Saffer wears on a cord around her neck but she seems to anticipate the move and grabs it first. Exo wraps her hand around her wrist. Exo, Preem and Saffer tussle a bit and Saffer is knocked to the floor. Clarissa crashes through the ceiling with her massive mech. At that moment a hidden door very near them opens and a synth pops out. 

 

It has no head, a humanoid body and four arms ending in formidable pincers. It falls on Saffer, wrapping her in its arms and leaps away through the door. Preem follows. Clarissa follows as well, crashing through the lower 3 of the 4 floors of the cathedral. 

 

They all converge at the hangar outside the cathedral. They destroy the ship the synth appears to be headed for and then turn their attention to destroying the synth. It goes down quickly under a barrage of anti-vehicle railgun fire. The mech then steps on and kills Saffer. 

 

Preem contacts Exo, who simply says "Leave." 8 fighters and 20 soldiers are headed at them. Preem, manning the railgun and laser of the mech easily takes out the fighters. At that moment their commandeered ship comes within reach and the mech grabs on and they head for space. Preem uses the data stick to shut down the planetary defenses so they can make their escape.

 

As they leave, they spot the ending of a major orbital battle, a battle the sector military is clearly losing. At that moment, several Selosian ships head down, into the Jelq atmosphere.

 

Iris contacts her friend again who again agrees to safe passage and thanks them for shutting down the planetary defenses. 

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Here our story ends, though the sector continues on.

Perhaps we'll see how things play out...in time...