"Nero, this is not a game," Flintlock said, trying to reason with him. "Providing other sensitive information can help you progress farther in the ranks of Unity, but if you purposefully fail this mission, I can’t promise that you’ll be allowed to enter. Although our intentions are positive, that does not mean that just anyone can mess with us."
Nero’s expression did not change in the slightest, nor was there a single fluctuation in his emotional state. Flintlock could tell because he could sense Nero’s state of mind, and it was very stable.
"So you’re threatening me now?" he asked in an even voice. "Complete the mission or else I’ll be punished? What? You’ll frame me for some crime? Or will it be something more direct? Should I anticipate an incoming assassination attempt? If this is the kind of organization Unity is, I want to join them even less, and there’s definitely no way I can trust you all."
Flintlock was frustrated, and felt his chances of success dwindling, yet this was not a mission he wanted to fail. If Nero wasn’t willing to cooperate, there were other, slower methods he could implement.
In truth, the reason Nero had been selected for this mission in particular wasn’t because he believed only Nero could fulfill this mission. This was merely meant to be the first step in a long chain of missions which would eventually get Nero to lower his guard, and become accustomed to helping Unity.
Since Nero did not seem too loyal to Kolar, this would be the perfect opportunity to slowly turn him into an insider agent for Unity in Kolar. Once he was used to spilling the beans for smaller things, he would not be so reluctant to do the same for even more sensitive information.
Nero had come up on their radar the day Sage Haidin had shown favour towards him, and they had made many plans involving him. Yet now it seemed that getting Nero to cooperate was not going to be so easy.
But, since it wasn’t working, there was no reason to fixate on doing things this way. Since Nero showed interest in joining Unity, they could just take a longer approach. Of course, none of that had anything to do with Flintlock. His only interest was in Noman, which is why he wanted to try convincing Nero one more time. If it didn’t work, he’d need to rely on his backup plans.
"Look, I understand you want to protect Noman," Flintlock said, his voice suddenly filled with understanding. "Our intention is not to harm him in any way. In fact, if we can confirm that his ability might be useful in sealing some abstract entities, then Unity itself will put in more effort to offer him greater protection. His ability, once he’s stronger, could save a lot of lives and prevent a lot of damage."
Flintlock felt a lot of frustration towards Nero. He was a far harder person to handle than expected. But... there was a possibility the situation could be redeemed. If the information Nero provided on Vanessa was valuable, it might make up for his failure to get Nero to cooperate on the Noman matter.
Flintlock sighed, making sure not to reveal his inner thoughts.
"Fine, then. Vanessa Abel. If you’re so adamant about protecting Noman, why are you so unhesitantly giving away her information? You should know, if you lie to Unity, sooner or later we’ll find out. It would not be to your benefit to make things up."
"Noman was my subordinate - someone who put his life in my hands and trusted my every word. His faith and character were proven on the battlefield more than once. Vanessa, on the other hand, is just someone who was making use of us. It was strictly a relationship based on interest. Besides, she is ultimately a foreigner, and I cannot trust her intentions. I have no compunction about selling her information, as I’m sure she would have no trouble sacrificing Kolari soldiers for her own benefits."
Nero did not explicitly say it, but if Unity learned about the betrayal and losses Nero suffered in his final mission, this statement alone would make them think Nero blamed her for it. Whether they bought it or not, the matter remained that it was a decent excuse to explain why Nero did not mind selling her out.
By Flintlock’s reaction, though, Nero could tell that he didn’t know anything about the betrayal. It made sense. It was unlikely that Flintlock was in the base, and he probably had his own goals or missions too, so it was not like he could keep tabs on them all the time. Not to mention, if information leaked so easily within the army, then Kolar would have no future.
"Alright, so what do you have? Let me warn you in advance, I cannot say for certain whether your proposal will be accepted or not, so the information you provide better be valuable if you want any chance at being accepted for your contributions."
"Oh, I have plenty of valuable information to share," Nero said calmly. "But not all of it will be revealed at once. I’ll give you a taste, though. Vitracil - do you know it? Vanessa underwent a baptism in Vitracil."
Flintlock frowned, even though Nero couldn’t see it. Vitracil? He’d never heard of it, so naturally he could not judge its value, nor could he judge how valuable this information was.
"Nero, if you think this is a game..." he began to say, but stopped.
"I don’t," Nero cut off Flintlock. "But I also know the value of the information I hold. Go back and let Unity know about this. Let them judge the worth of this information. If they want more, then I need to become a proper member first, and get my deserved benefits."
The information he leaked was far more than it appeared. Leaking her baptism in Vitracil was already a huge deal, but the existence of Vitracil also betrayed access to Perilith. Anyone who knew about Vitracil would be able to make the connection, and could see what this information was worth.
From that, if they could judge that Kolar let Vanessa use their access to Perilith, they could draw further connections about the kind of relationship Kolar and Nova were heading towards.
This one, seemingly single piece of information hid countless secrets. One only needed to know the value of the original news to decipher all the other messages hidden within.
If Unity was truly an intelligence agency, then they should be able to see through Nero’s small trick. If they couldn’t, then the hype regarding it will naturally have been inflated.
Flintlock glared at Nero for a while, but then gave up his irritation. It wasn’t worth it.
"If your intel is worth it, I’ll contact you again. If not, then goodbye for good," Flintlock said before dismissing the dream, allowing Nero to fall into a proper slumber.
The night passed peacefully, and the dawn came without issues. Nero actually felt relieved since the task was done, and he no longer needed to betray Noman. Now, he focused solely on recovering as quickly as possible as if he wasn’t waiting for important news.
Yet unlike Nero, there was one person in the base who could not relax.
Lieutenant Earl Berkin stood in the observation platform, looking outside. Both caravans, the secret one that very few knew was taking Dave and Noman to Fordham, and the official one that most knew about had, left without issue. They were not targeted, and there were no signs of any news being leaked at all. Yet instead of relieved, Earl only felt more anxious.
Something about the situation made him feel very tense, yet he could not tell what it was. Today, in secret, unbeknownst even to Noman himself, he would be sent out back towards Fordham. It couldn’t be helped - if Dave wasn’t gotten to a proper hospital soon, he would not be able to survive. If that happened, they would not be able to interrogate him, and they would never learn who was behind him all along.
Based on the last two caravans’ success, Noman should be able to leave calmly and without facing any issues. Earl had no reason to expect anything to be different, yet the anxiety he felt in his chest would not leave him. He couldn’t even assign extra guards, or give Noman any more protection than he already had, for that would attract attention and render the secret departure pointless.
So, as per his routine, he surveyed the base’s surroundings from the observation deck early in the day, and then went about his normal routine as if everything were normal. He hoped that things really stayed that way.