Chapter 299: Why would you retire?
"Spectre Jace, can you search and disable any bugs that are in the room?" The High Priestess asked as she took up one of the seats while Nila stood to her side just behind her.
Jace nodded his head and activated a feature in his helmet. Quickly finding several minor bugs and a pair of major ones in the data pads on the table. A surge of electricity spread out through the room. Causing a minor shock to everyone. While the listening and observation devices were fried. The data pads on the table literally caught fire. While Nila and the High Priestess shielding flared for a moment.
"What was that?!?" The Princess asked in surprise as she looked around.
"Spectre Jace just removed all of the listening and observation devices I believe." The High Priestess answered. "But did you have to use such a brute force method?"
"There were so many I just decided I did not want to go around and deal with them." Jace answered with a grunt. "You will just have to convert it to digital after you are done." Jace informed them as he stayed by the door. Benze glared at him again for a moment.
"Well then, I will be..." The butler waved at an area that had food and drinks set up. Ready to serve at a moment’s notice. "Over there with food and drinks if you need me, so... just call for me." He then scurried off with a little hum.
Jace leaned back against the wall. While at the same time he was getting reports from his people. Ulin and Uti were on the way up with his knife that he threw and the guest that arrived with them. The rest of his squad had taken up searching the nearby area and the building.
Charlie and Josef had found a building just outside of the perimeter the Princess had set up with suspicious people inside. They had broken in and taken down the occupants discovering they were a group of insurgents. They had communications with other groups that indicated a set of specific times. Along with the specifications for the mercenary guild buildings security. It seems that there was someone supplying them with information that should have been secure. Jace ordered them to follow the trail of clues to see where it ended up.
Asana and Vana were watching a suspicious group of station maintenance workers. They were still watching them. But it was looking like they were accessing the sewers and keeping an eye out. There was a good chance they were acting as lookouts for another group. Jace told them to just keep watching them for the time being.
Then the last pair was Rook and Jul’an, they had entered the building and were searching the bottom floor. Jul’an was complaining about the subpar building materials used to create the structure. While Rook had spotted that some of the staff were looking suspiciously around and were staying near large containers like fridges and cabinets. Almost like they were waiting for something. Jace ordered him to see if there is a common link amongst those looking suspicious and then detain them.
He was starting to get an idea of what was going on. Surprisingly he did not think the first prince or even the Tyranus Society was behind the assassination attempts on the Princess. The whole point of explaining the princes and Archdukes’ situation earlier was to bring in the idea that they were far too busy to focus on sending assassins after her on a daily basis.
Meaning the culprit of the assassination plots could be closer to home than the Princess might have thought. She had become so used to threats outside of her circle she might have neglected her own people scheming against her. Which is what has happened here.
One of the many groups she has under her has likely garnered enough support to take over in the event of the Princess’s death. Now they just had to track down how deep this rot has taken root in her group. Unfortunately it was seeming more and more like they would have a battle in the mercenary guild building.
Even more unfortunate was the fact that his squad would be the ones that would have to deal with that.
After a few more minutes there was a knock at the doors as the Princess and the High Priestess settled into their seats. Jace opened the door and a cloaked figure walked into the room. Just behind him was Uti, their Ola squad member, and Ulin who had opted to use her new laser bow. Ulin held out Jace’s knife and he accepted it before closing the doors and ordering them to standby outside the door.
Once the door was closed the cloaked figure brought down his hood. The Princess jumped out of her seat in surprise. Astella was standing behind her at a guarding position so she only backed up when the Princess jumped up. Benze’s expression was one of shock and horror. Jace could see the butler in the background as he literally fainted and fell to the ground.
"Fath- I mean your Majesty," He could see her eyes moisten as she resisted the urge to jump forward and hug the Emperor who in her eyes had returned from the dead.
But the Emperor was not nearly as formal as he stepped forward with a grin, quickly going around the table and pulling the princess into a hug. "Haha! None of that now my daughter! Feel free to call me father if you want!" He laughed loudly as he pulled back from his hug. "Now that the people think I am dead, I am leaving it all to my heirs to deal with while I enjoy retirement." The emperor explained as he pulled a few things out of his cloak. A data pad and a few official looking documents.
"What? Why?" The Princess asked in bewilderment as the Emperor took the seat next to her. She slowly sat down as well. Cautious and confused about the change of events. "Why would you retire?"