1468 mander Estela
Author's Note: Unedited Chapter
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Gustav nodded, his gaze fixed on the horizon of the Nereus Sector, which had bee a crumbling shadow of its former self.
"Shouldn't be much of a big deal. We'll drop them off on a universally, mercial, multi-species planet. The alliance forces there will help coordinate their return to their respective planets. We'll be out of there before anyone notices and back on track."
All the spacecraft besides Gustav's used to belong to the crimelords and kingpins. Now that they were gone, Gustav could use them to help the oppressed.
The group finalized their preparations by securing every hatch and checking every system.
As the engines began to hum with power, ready to break free from the gravitational pull of the sector, a sudden flash of intense light enveloped the spacecraft.
"Hmm?" Gustav moved to the main control room where a large screen flickered to life, displaying the emblem of the universe alliance. A stern voice crackled through the munication system, heavy with authority.
"Gustav Crimson! You have been surrounded by the alliance fleets. Step out of your spacecraft and surrender!"
Gustav and Falco looked at each other in surprise as the atmosphere turned tense.
His perception spread and just as the voice said, there were over thirty alliance spacecraft hovering above them, armed with space cannons and energy pulses ready to fire.
Not to mention that within the fleets were hundreds of alliance corps members. A mixture of planetary species from across the galaxies with a variety of skill sets and supernatural abilities.
He knew dealing with them wouldn't be as easy as how he dealt with the crimelords. Especially with the current circumstances of the encounter.
In the other spacecraft, Aildris reached for the munication panel.
"Gustav, what do we do?"
Gustav stepped forward while answering, "Time to put the alliance to the test. Let's find out which is more important to them... Capturing me or saving lives."
With that, he opened a munication channel with the fleets.
Once the line was open, he spoke with a resonant and unwavering tone.
"This is Gustav Crimson. We have onboard tens of thousands of innocent lives that we've just rescued from enslavement and trafficking.
We request safe passage as I wish to transport them to a universally, mercial, multi-species planet where your forces can help sort and return them to their respective planets. This is one of the duties of the alliance, is it not?"
The reply was quick and curt.
"Your violent actions in the Nereus Sector have reached us, Planet Destroyer. You are to surrender immediately, or we will take action."
'Someone ratted me out eh...'
Recalling how he had dealt with every single crime lord except for Vlaid who had chosen to be taken with Karis. Gustav knew it couldn't have e from anyone on his end.
'One of the Triton operatives huh?' Gustav shook his head slightly.
He wasn't surprised. Even after helping, people always managed to show him that he was better off being the monster that they all wanted him to be.
The little Aquarii girl they saved on their first day there tugged at Gustav's jacket, pulling him out of his brief reverie.
"Thank you. I will get to see Gaba and Fara again," She showcased a bright smile that caused her eyes to light up.
Her face temporarily reminded him of Angy's causing him to pat her head twice.
"Go strap in," he said to her.
She heartily strutted towards the sitting area and strapped in along with the many others there.
"Prepare for evasive maneuvers," Gustav informed Aildris and Endric through their private channel.
"Understood," They responded in unison while firing up the engines.
Gustav returned to the open channel, his tone now edged with a cold firmness.
"You do realize that any aggressive action from your side will endanger tens of thousands of innocent lives. Knowing this, will you allow us to pass?"
There was a brief pause, the tension palpable in the silence that followed.
Finally, a voice from the alliance responded.
"You have a one-hour headstart. After that, we will take necessary actions to bring you into custody, with or without your cooperation."
Gustav was surprised by the unexpected response. The feminine voice was different from the one that spoke earlier which left him wondering. It wasn't something he had expected from the alliance at all but he had decided to make use of the window.
The channel closed with a click and in the next instant, they began lifting off the surface.
In the boundless expanse of space, a moment of eerie tranquillity settled over Gustav's spacecraft as it ascended from the Nereus Sector.
Inside the mand center, Gustav stood before the panoramic view of the cosmos, his gaze intently fixed on the central vessel of the encircling alliance fleets. Time seemed to dilate around him, the stars and distant galaxies blurring into streaks of light as his focus narrowed.
Amid the fleet, the mand ship loomed prominently. Gustav's perception, allowed him to sense the presence of the person who gave him a headstart, distinctly. He did not linger on the sensation, however, as the urgency of their escape pressed upon him and the others.
As the spacecraft maneuvered through space, time seemed to slow down.
Simultaneously, aboard her mand ship, mander Estela stood by the forward viewing panel, her eyes unwittingly meeting the direction of Gustav's craft.
A strange sense of recognition passed through her, a lingering effect of their previous encounter marked by deceit and illusions.
-Minutes Earlier on mander Estela's Ship-
mander Estela was in the midst of a briefing with her senior officers. The room was filled with the low vibrations of the ship's engines and the soft beeps of operational consoles.
"mander, the latest reports from the Nereus Sector are in," announced Lieutenant Harrow, handing her a digital tablet.
The screen displayed detailed accounts of Gustav's recent actions—his ruthless purging of the sector's crimelords, his rescue of thousands of enslaved individuals, and his unilateral efforts to restore order.
Estela scanned the report, her brow furrowing in confusion and skepticism.
"This... this doesn't look like the actions of a destroyer," she murmured, her voice tinged with disbelief.
Harrow nodded, sharing in the confusion.
"Yes, mander. It appears his motives might not be as clear-cut as we were led to believe. There's a plexity here we didn't expect."
Estela paced slowly, her thoughts racing. The image of Gustav, painted by the alliance corps briefings as a ruthless planet destroyer, clashed dramatically with the man who had just orchestrated such an action.
Not to mention that her last encounter with him had struck a chord within her that made her desperation grow.
However, it felt like she was currently dealing with an entirely different person. The recent turn of events instantly put a stump on her decisions.
Lieutenant Mora, a robust and imposing figure with a rugged, granite-like plexion and eyes that glowed faintly red, broke the silence first.
"mander, what should be our next move? Shall we force him to surrender?"
Before Estela could respond, another Lieutenant, Kael, a lanky being with scaly skin that shimmered blue and green under the ship's lights, activated the munication channel.
"Gustav Crimson! You have been surrounded by the alliance fleets. Step out of your spacecraft and surrender!"
"This is Gustav Crimson. We have onboard tens of thousands of innocent lives that we've just rescued from enslavement and trafficking.
We request safe passage as I wish to transport them to a universally mercial multi-species planet where your forces can help sort and return them to their respective planets. This is one of the duties of the alliance, is it not?"
They heard Gustav's voice boom forth from the control room speakers.
"This joker," Lieutenant Kael scoffed before tapping on the response console.
"Your violent actions in the Nereus Sector have reached us, Planet Destroyer. You are to surrender immediately, or we will take action." He stated while the other alliance corp members aimed the weapons at the three spacecraft below.
"Hold on..." mander Estela manded.
"mander, are we not attacking him for resisting arrest?" Lieutenant Kael questioned cautiously.
"Scan their spacecraft. I want to be sure he is telling the truth," mander Estela instructed.
The alliance corp members in the control room immediately did as manded and in a few seconds, holographic data was displayed.
What seemed to look like a 3D sketch of thousands of different species could be seen strapped in within the three spacecraft below. It proved that the reports and the words of Gustav were true.
'He saved so many... And yet, how many has he taken in act of planetary destruction? What is the truth of this man?' The questions haunted her, swirling through mander Estela's mind as she considered her next steps.
"What would happen if we opened fire?" mander Estela asked.
"The spacecraft is at most level three issue standards. Their shields might be able to tank two or three blasts but anything more would result in their destruction as well as that of everyone onboard. Except for Gustav Crimson of course.
With his level of strength, he would survive but not the children and ordinary slave adults on board," Lieutenant Harrow gave mander Estela a detailed explanation.
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