Onboard The Tempest, we were led to a conference room under heavy guard. We had asked to speak to General Sheppard privately on the matter, and he surprisingly agreed. They had taken Gramyre, Miló and Akoúo, and the watches from us as we boarded. We weren't prisoners, I gathered, but we certainly weren't guests. The conference room we were now in was rather large. It was a mainly white room with some monitors on the back wall, a large table with twelve chairs, and a clock over the single door into the room.
They placed us in here and told us to wait for the general to return. I had other ideas, though, and AILITA was more than ready.
I think we should get the drop on them, I thought, Do you mind doing some recon, AILITA? Key me in on their intent?
"I'll keep you posted," AILITA said.
While AILITA scoured their servers, I took a seat to the left of the head of the table. She pulled up several windows in my HUD of security feeds throughout the ship. I saw the interior of the hangar, the bridge, and the hallway outside the room we were now in. General Sheppard was on the bridge, talking to another man on the monitor. The hangar looked mostly clear, just a few troops going about their business among the smaller ships. Suddenly, Sheppard left the bridge and reappeared a few minutes later in the hallway outside the conference room.
"I've got full access to the ship, and they've got no idea," AILITA said, "Just say the word and I'll cover your exit."
That's great, I said, Just need to develop a plan, now.
The doors opened a moment later, and the General stepped inside, alone. He had a scowl on his face as if faced with some unpleasant task. He started pacing around the room, looking between me and Pyrrha.
"So," he said after a long period, "now that we're alone, do you mind filling me in on how you managed to acquire an Atlas prototype?" He was rather angry, I could tell.
He must not like secrets being kept from him.
"All the same," AILITA said, "it sounds like this conversation isn't private. He's got a camera in the room, watching and listening to what we're saying."
Guess we'll have to make him trust us in a different way, I thought, Interrupt their feed, no one else should hear us.
"Hope these Atlas types enjoy silence," AILITA said.
"I'd be glad to share," I replied to the General, "now that your friends in the other room won't be watching us."
"What do you mean?" Sheppard said, stopping and grabbing the back of a chair, "We've been alone since I walked in the room."
"It'd be best not to lie, General," I said, keeping my tone smooth and even. Mom had trained me in the art of negotiation. People tended to react differently when you showed your cards, already knowing theirs; mine were pretty well stacked against him. "If you want us to trust you with the information we have, you need to be trustworthy. I feel that you can be, but I need assurances. And an even playing field."
"Fine," Sheppard grumbled, "but how did you know I had other eyes on you?"
"All in due time, sir," I replied, "For now, I believe we owe you a story."
And so, we recounted our tale up until that point. Pyrrha and I were sure to leave out the details of the Old Gods, Pyrrha's resurrection, and the visions; we made the General aware of AILITA, but not of her full capabilities. Best to not leave all our cards out. The General sat in silence the entire time, listening, waiting. When we were finished, he took a seat at the head of the table, typing into a computer there. He pulled up images on the screen opposite him. They were of villages on fire, Grimm rampaging in the streets.
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"Do you know what these images are?" Sheppard asked.
"They're Grimm attacks in Mistral over the last three months," I answered simply, AILITA having clued me in as he walked in the room. If Sheppard was surprised, he hid it well.
"That's right," he confirmed, "The Grimm have been getting bolder, more aggressive. And Atlesian presence in Mistral has been waning since the events of the Fall of Beacon. Quite frankly, you're lucky you got any help here at all."
"What is your reason for showing us this, General?" Pyrrha asked.
"Because what you just told me, especially that bit at Beacon, confirms what I've been feeling for some time now: The Grimm are coordinating. They're on the offensive." Sheppard said, "These aren't random attacks anymore, not at this magnitude. Mistral has been sending Huntsmen out to deal with the surges in attacks, but none of them have returned. Mistral is being softened up. I fear that they'll be attacked next, just like Vale was."
"With your story on the Grimm, this all but confirms an attack is imminent," Sheppard continued, "And the worst thing about it is that we can't just outright tell anyone. Think of the pandemonium we'd cause with the information! At the very least, I can take the information to my superior, if he doesn't already know. James has a knack for knowing things before his intelligence team brings it to him."
"Respectfully, sir," I said, "We've got our own mission to attend to. How much longer do you intend-"
Suddenly, an alarm sounded in the ship. Red lights started flashing on the monitors, in the room itself, and in the hallway outside.
AILITA, I asked, what is this?
"Proximity alert," she answered, "The ship's radar is picking up an unidentified incoming object. My scanners indicate some kind of Grimm, but all I can gather is it's big, whatever it is!"
Shit, I thought.
Sheppard pulled up the bridge on the central monitor, and we saw an image of a blonde-haired woman standing at the bridge.
"Captain, what have we got?" Sheppard asked.
"Not sure yet, sir," the Captain answered, "We've got an as-of-yet unidentified object on our radar closing fast. I sounded an alarm to err on the side of caution."
"Sound judgment, Sparrow," Sheppard complimented, "Have the crew standby for further orders and-."
"They need to go to battle stations," I told Sheppard, "I'm picking up something big incoming. We need to be ready."
"You don't issue orders on my ship! What makes you think-?" Sheppard started.
BOOM
The Tempest rocked suddenly, the sound of the impact reverberating through the whole ship.
"Captain! Battle stations!" Sheppard suddenly ordered. The captain on screen saluted before the feed ended.
BOOM
"Time for you two to earn your keep around here," Sheppard said, "Follow me, and I'll take you back to your weapons and personal effects."
He led us down the hallway and we worked our way through the labyrinth of the ship before coming on a door at a dead end. The General placed his hand on a panel beside the door, which scanned his hand. The door opened.
