A few hours ter...

  The Lancer armored vehicle roared across Pandora's arid ndscape, its engine growling as it advanced toward its final destination, the Crimson Armory. Inside the vehicle, General Knoxx sat with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on the holographic monitor in front of him.

  Knoxx hadn’t expected that his brief visit to a bar in Deep Fathoms would ignite the hope of an old, dying man. When he first arrived on Pandora, he had thought Athena’s idea of leaving Ats cked wisdom.

  But after sending three ECHO recordings to HQ in Promethea, one of them being a request for ammunition. Only to receive a package containing duct tape, fourteen sponges, and something he prayed was melted chocote. Knoxx had begun to seriously consider deserting.

  Luckily, someone with guts had shown up to ensure his father’s efforts weren’t in vain. Knoxx was willing to follow, even if it meant dying, it was better than spending his remaining days on Grophic IV. Though the other side knew about him, Knoxx didn’t know the boy’s name, but he had tested the other side through the ECHOnet, which was currently restricted.

  If Maxwell really had control of the servers, something Knoxx was convinced of given Steele’s incompetence, and after speaking with the boy, who didn’t seem much older than Athena, then Maxwell would be calling him in the following days.

  Thinking of the girl, Knoxx wondered how her mission had gone. The Lance Assassins were currently stationed in T-bone Junction and along the entire stretch of The Ridgeway.

  Knoxx was in such a good mood that he wasn’t even smoking, a sight that left everyone in the armored vehicle perplexed.

  Knoxx wanted to go to Crimson Armory immediately, the pce housed hundreds of Ats weapons and thousands of other brands he had collected. He inwardly thanked himself for not leaving it in Steele’s hands, or it would have already been looted by deserters.

  "Have the transmissions returned to normal?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

  One of the soldiers beside him, equipped with a communication headset, quickly accessed the data and began reviewing the messages. After a few moments, he responded, "Affirmative, sir. We still have partial interference, but we’ve received numerous transmissions from Ats units stranded on Pandora. There’s also movement from the Lockdown Pace bandits."

  Knoxx let out a heavy sigh, more focused on the transmissions than a group of bandits, the Lance Assassins would handle them. "Are they distress calls?"

  The soldier nodded. "Yes, sir. Many of them are old, weeks or even months deyed. Most are probably dead or have deserted. However, there are some recent ones from isoted positions."

  Knoxx ran a hand over his face, exhausted. "Ignore the old ones. If they were still alive and loyal, they would’ve found a way out by now. Prioritize the most recent callsthose have the best chance of rescue."

  The soldier confirmed the order with a nod, beginning to archive the older requests.

  Knoxx gestured for the soldier to py the audio. The transmission was full of static, but the desperate voice of a man could be heard clearly:

  ("This is Sergeant Dain... We need reinforcements! One of the Omega Assassins... went rogue! She... she’s hunting us! I... I think she’s right he—")

  The audio was brutally cut off by the sound of a sharp strike, followed by a choked gurgle. Knoxx remained silent for a moment, closing his eyes as he recognized the familiar sound of someone choking on their own blood. The man had been stabbed. He knew that sound all too well.

  "When was this transmission sent?" Knoxx asked, his tone unwavering.

  The soldier quickly checked the data. "Two hours ago, General. Promethea time."

  Knoxx took a deep breath. "Check the whereabouts of the Lance Assassins immediately. I want to know which units are active and who is still operational."

  The soldier hesitated. He stammered for a moment, avoiding eye contact with the terminal screen.

  Knoxx narrowed his eyes. "Speak, soldier. What’s going on?"

  With trembling hands, the soldier turned the screen toward Knoxx. A clear image stood out: a sharp photo of Athena, accompanied by the word "WANTED" and a bounty of one million dolrs for her capture.

  Knoxx leaned back in his seat, pulling a cigarette from his pocket. A cynical smile formed on his lips.

  "So, Athena... What the hell have you done now?" Knoxx muttered, knowing there had to be a reason for Athena’s sudden and violent betrayal. As an Omega Assassin, she had undergone rigorous training, and her loyalty to Ats had been ingrained in her since childhood.

  "What mission was Athena given?" Knoxx demanded.

  "I don’t have access to that information, sir." The soldier ughed dryly, sweat running down his forehead. Everyone knew Knoxx had a certain attachment to Athena, perhaps because neither of them had great social skills.

  "Get me a call to Promethea’s main HQ. I want a word with the higher-ups," Knoxx ordered.

  "Yes, sir! Right away, sir!" Swallowing hard, the soldier did exactly as Knoxx commanded.

  The call was answered by a woman.

  ("Good afternoon, General. Mr. Mickey is currently busy.")

  A vein bulged on Knoxx’s forehead, but before he could speak, he heard the secretary whisper something to someone. Moments ter, the call switched over.

  ("Yo, old man! Ah... Are you mad at me about the package? My bad about the poop, that was an accident.")

  Knoxx paused for a moment, frowning. ("I want to know... wait, what?") He shook his head, refocusing. ("That’s not the point. I want to know what orders were given to Athena.")

  ("Oh, that. Well, we sent her on an extermination mission with her squad in a vilge on Elpis.")

  Knoxx frowned even more. ("But we’re on Pandora, Mr. Mickey.")

  ("Oh, right? Eh, doesn’t matter, I didn’t ask.") Mickey ughed, completely unbothered. ("The old guys said that vilge was where she lived with her sister. Now that I’ve answered, I’m hanging up.")

  Before the call ended, another sound came through:

  ("Take off your bra, Franceska. I wanna suck your tits. They still got milk, right?")

  Knoxx was confused when he realized the call was still going. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips as he listened. Without saying a word, he simply disconnected, not wanting to hear any more.

  Running a hand through his graying hair, he finally grasped the gravity of the situation. He wanted to call the other military superiors, but his actions were interrupted by an unknown incoming call.

  Knoxx gestured for the soldier to answer.

  ("Yo, Knoxx. Maxwell here, owner of Ouroboros. Just letting you know I’ve got Athena and her sister with me at the bar.")

  Knoxx felt muscles he hadn’t even realized were tense finally rex at the news.

  ("This wasn’t just a coincidence. Were you listening to my conversation?")

  ("I know everything that happens on the ECHOnet. I have a very capable eye watching everything. So, are you in for Ouroboros?")

  ("Honestly, I don’t think I have a choice. I believe you’ll rule Promethea better than Ats ever did.")

  ("That's the spirit. There are still many people I want under my wing, so I need to organize my ranks. However, don't expect anything less than becoming my admiral. Don't disappoint me.")

  On Maxwell's side, the man smirked as he watched the system panel appear.

  [Quest:](X) Earn Knoxx's loyalty( ) Earn Athena's loyalty( ) Purchase Ats

  ("Yes, sir, I will do my best. Are there any pending orders?")

  ("Gd you asked. Now that you're on our side, I don't need to hide Odyssey. I need some of your men to protect my Marvins during the Eridium extraction mission. My ship will be heading to Crimson Armory.")

  ("Understood. I assume you want to proceed with my fake death? Where are the Vault Hunters?")

  ("Yes, I need you to store all of Crimson Armory's equipment on Odyssey. As for the Vault Hunters, well, based on the audio logs, they were pretty pissed off about finding nothing in the Vault except a tentacle-covered monster. They almost died if it weren’t for Lilith, who used her powers to kill the creature.")

  ("The Siren... Will I need to go to them?")

  ("No, I gave them the coordinates to Crimson Armory. I want you to blow the pce up and escape on Odyssey.")

  ("Noted. Admiral Knoxx signing off.")

  "That old man..." Maxwell smirked at Knoxx’s complete ck of fear or hesitation. The title of Admiral was empty for now, but he had Ats' strongest fleet on his side. He needed to hurry up with the Titans.

  Maxwell snapped out of his deep thoughts and refocused on the bar, noticing a man aggressively grabbing Moxxi’s arm. His eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly realized who it was.

  "Shank, you rat. I knew you'd show up here the moment you smelled Athena’s bounty."