Chapter 522: Seperate Goals
(Planet Koral, Lieutenant Aaron’s Quarters, 10:04 PM)
On this particular day, Leo and Veyr had decided to convene in Aaron’s quarters for the night, just to shift the routine day to day.
Veyr was the first to speak, as he recounted in detail his earlier conversation with the Major, relaying both the words that were exchanged and the subtle undertones that accompanied them.
He painted a clear picture of a man who was both measured and unshaken, someone who spoke of the Cult not with fear, but with a sense of settled confidence, one that Veyr found unnerving.
"What spooked me the most, Cuz, was how he said the Righteous Faction had learned from their past mistakes in fighting the Cult," Veyr muttered, his jaw tightening as his fingers curled into a light fist against his knee. "He seemed almost too sure of himself... like he already knows exactly how to crush us if we make a move."
Leo sat back in his chair, resting an elbow on the armrest as he rubbed his chin, his expression unreadable. "Hmmm..."
But unlike his cousin, Leo didn’t seem particularly rattled.
"Look," he began calmly, his tone thoughtful but steady, "if you have a hunch, then follow it through. Dig until you find the reason behind their confidence, because understanding your opponent is always important."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"But don’t let that one unknown factor consume all your focus either. We already have more than enough on our plate. Our main goals are clear: we need to figure out how to disable their mana shield core to open an entry point for our ships, and we need to know if they have any allied forces stationed nearby who’ll respond to a distress signal."
He leaned forward now, more serious.
"Those two variables will decide the pace of the war. How fast we can hit them, how long we can hold the advantage, and ultimately... how many lives we’ll lose in the process."
Leo let that linger for a breath before finishing, "If there’s another hidden threat beyond those two, some hidden ace up their sleeve, then sure, we shall prepare for it.
But there will always be such unknowns in war....
And it’s simply not possible to always plan for everything.
At some point, you just have to trust the plan and take the leap."
Veyr’s eyes narrowed slightly as he shook his head.
"But this isn’t just any variable, Cuz. We’re talking about the lives of tens of thousands here... people who are following me. They trust me to lead them, to protect them. I’m their Dragon, and I won’t let my own negligence in reconnaissance be the reason they die."
His voice didn’t rise, but the intensity behind it was unmistakable. There was fire in his words now, conviction in his stance, and Leo’s gaze sharpened as he watched his cousin speak with such unflinching resolve.
’Oh?’ Leo mused silently, caught a bit off guard. This was the first time Veyr had truly embraced the role he’d been given, not out of duty, but out of personal ownership.
’So he’s finally stepping into the mantle of the Dragon eh?,’ Leo thought, lips tightening slightly as he nodded, a deep sigh slipping past.
*Sigh*
"Alright then," he said at last, his voice lower now. "We divide the workload going forward. I’ll focus on breaching the mana shield and uncovering their reinforcement protocols. You dig into this hidden ace... and more importantly, start running recon on the planetary commander."
He paused.
"According to my research today, there is a Commander from the Su family on this planet, located in Zone 1, that is the only Monarch level fighter that they have here.
My hunch says that he might just be the root of their confidence."
Veyr’s shoulders eased slightly as he gave a firm nod. "Thank you, cousin. Truly. In the end... you’re the only one I can count on. I know that this increases your burden of reconnaissance greatly, but I’m sure you’ll pull through."
Leo didn’t respond right away, but his expression softened just a little as he glanced toward the window, where the cold starlight of Koral’s sky seeped faintly through the transparent glass.
"We’re in this together," he said quietly. "Always have been."
—------------------
From the next morning onwards, Leo and Veyr began operating on completely different tangents, each devoting themselves fully to their designated half of the mission, as they stopped briefing one another on minor progress and instead chose to reconvene only when something critical surfaced.
Leo, as always, preferred to work from the shadows. He used Larry’s clearance to quietly insert himself into various command briefings across multiple divisions, never asking direct questions but instead listening, observing and piecing together the subtleties behind the base’s operations.
He paid attention to things that most would ignore, such as where exactly did the trucks that brought mana crystals into the shield facility came from?
And, whether or not they carried any waste materials back out or not.
He also leaned into his habits as an Assassin, finding blind spots in surveillance networks and identifying junior officers who could be manipulated, bribed, or casually cornered for information without ever realizing they’d given something away.
Every late-night stroll, every offhand comment in the mess hall, every seemingly trivial conversation became a tool in Leo’s arsenal, as he strategically probed the base for structural weaknesses.
Veyr, on the other hand, approached things like a commander preparing for war.
He spent his days poring over rank lists and request logs, compiling the names of senior officers stationed on Koral, especially those who had previously worked on off-log missions.
He requested troop inspection rights under the pretext of morale and discipline checks, using these visits to quietly assess which units were given special treatment, unusual gear, or secret briefings.
His questions were sharper, more pointed than Leo’s, and often asked in plain daylight, but never so direct that they raised alarm.
And so, with quiet intensity, the two cousins began digging toward the truths they needed, each in their own way slowly closing in on their particular goals.
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