The next day, the original ten members of the faction gathered at HQ, silence dominated the room as they sat around the table eating with the tenderness it took to maintain absolute calm.
Lydia looked guilty, everyone else had eyes on the annoyingly happy couple. It was Lillim who reached her limit first and spoke up, addressing Lydia's useless attempt at concealing the fact she knew exactly what happened and desperately trying to preserve their privacy. "So the two of them finally consummated their marriage, can you all please grow up."
"I agree. You're all making Lydia feel guilty for something she can't help." Klaire stated bluntly, when that was interpreted as an invite for the three their age to ask questions she simply said "comet" and let three super dense masses of ice and light form above them.
"We're sorry!" As Blanc, Alysse and Gillian shouted in unison, Carl began handing out the day's agenda.
"We got tonnes of name suggestions in the ballot ready to go as well. So as soon as surveys are done we can draw and name it, hopefully it just asks you to confirm so you don't need to be on site."
Carl nodded, then told everyone bar Noah and Blaine to continue getting surveys done. "Does that mean we got beasts to get Boss?"
"Yes it does, I have forty-sev-"
'Dad, on that subject... I want to be assigned to Lillim.' Squidge's announcement hurt Carl considerably. 'No Dad! I just need to grow stronger... Levi's getting super far ahead and I feel like a prototype, compared to the others.'
"Squidge, but we've always been together. Don't know what I'll do without you..."
'What you always do. You'll get over it and push on, I really am proud I helped you all that time and I don't want to become redundant because that's how I feel... Please Dad, let me do this.'
Carl wanted to deny the request, but also knew that would be selfish. "Fine, okay. You better stay in touch though bud and if you don't you'll be grounded like Levi. I grant you full growth autonomy."
[ SQUIDGE HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO LILLIM ]
'Don't go easy on me, make me stronger.' His determination made Lillim smile.
"Alysse I want you and sophie focused on modes of transport that could fit through the realm gates, if you can't you need to figure out how to create a larger realm gate. I also want your teams picked by the end of the week."
"I have my eyes on a couple of potential diplomats, but honestly I want the alliance with the chasm-dwarf settled by the end of the week. I'm going to have Equinox help me with a slightly more aggressive tactic, but we don't have time for me to waste on their dallying responses and yes I know I can't rush it, but I can't let it prolong either."
"Well said Gillian, mention the consolidation with clan Bashe as well, they will listen to that." Kyubi suggested.
"Anyway, I've sent Noah the lists of beasts, seems everyone else knows their duties. Time for me to be a leader."
"You really gonna try to negotiate with them?" Gillian asked, a bit skeptical that they would be as susceptible to Carl's unique brand of "vague negotiations" as Bahamut.
"No.Klaire and I will lay things out clearly, then Maeb, Kyubi and Equinox will evaluate it. Aldra, I trust you to be an effective diplomat and remember to talk to Equinox, I'm assigning you to him."
"Of course Carl, as you wish."
"What about me, Dad?" Omedra asked eagerly.
"You have your orders, three days on, then two off. Same for Aldra, but you come back until Mum is satisfied and everyone with stars remember. The moment your laws become known, report in directly, that is standard procedure for the faction, we need to know if we're wasting people's talents."
With that Carl was satisfied they managed to have a productive morning conversation, even if the start was far from ideal.
Within a few hours they had produced a copy that met their auditors' rather unforgiving standards and were on their way to the direct of SATS' office.
"Never thought we would be negotiating with her about anything other than biscuit freedom." Klaire grumbled.
"We're not, we just don't have anyone else who can contact the Committee."
When they finally knocked on the doors that once seemed menacing, they did so with the confidence of real leaders and when they finally slid open with a hiss, they came face to face with the woman they had to treat solely as the representative of the committee.
"Mr. and Mrs. Bashe-Reaga, how can I help you today?" Leanna spoke to them with the same professionalism she always did whilst on duty.
"Madam Director, we have come to pass on a formal address, proposal and notice to the committee." Leanna's eye twitched from the unexpected news, she had only just filed the report on his condition after his latest encounter with the omina-class threat.
"Well... You best take a seat then, please wait whilst I look it over." She used her data slate to set her status as in a priority meeting, then sat down and began reading.
The more she read, the more she struggled to hide her true feelings.
"Are you sure about all this? You should know it's already too late to back out, but if you change your minds now, that may be taken into account..."
"Without question. We are certain and obligated."
Leanna nodded, then asked for them to take their leave and wait in the seating area outside, then barely ten minutes later the doors hissed open and Leanna stepped out.
"Follow me." She walked with purpose, leading them back through the SAT-Station in silence, back towards the gate-room.
"Open a gate to committee station Pluto." The operator looked up, about to ask for confirmation, but the moment he saw Leanna's face he simply opened it after security stepped forward to clear the area.
"Madam Director, the gate is open and stable."
"Thank you, when we pass through, close it immediately."
They stepped through and immediately noticed the difference. The sterile white panels of the receiving gate room were shined to perfection, yet there was not a single individual in sight.
"This is wrong. There should be enough security here to hold off Faylorna's army."
"We do not need that security." A calm voice that carried the weight of power and authority said.
"Can I assume you're one of the real leaders?" Carl asked confidently.
When the distorted figure appeared, the aura was suffocating, it felt of pure greed, the arrogance of one who owns everything they want and craves more still.
"Sorry, not to be rude, but can you pull in your aura, if I release mine we could draw unwanted attention, it's a bit... Unruly."
"Ha! Please, I'm intruiged to see what the prodigal son can do with a sin-" Carl didn't let him finish as Lillim's rushed advice on aura infusion and trust in his natural talent was put to the test.
The release was immediate and overwhelming, washing over Leanna and Klaire like warm embrace and not only standing up to the variant's but promising to overwhelm it if he didn't concede.
"Enough! We told you to be receptive, not satisfy your curiosity." The second voice was gruff, reminding Carl of demon commander that Lillim brought in as a training partner in the days before graduation.
"I'll pull mine in first... Don't want you falling in love with me or this could get awkward." Carl laughed, making the man sneer with offence taken.
When the auras were suppressed, the first variant stepped out.
Despite his aura of greed and self-satisfaction, he had the body of one who had been honing it for centuries. His vascular muscles and well groomed appearance almost made his welcome seem like some manner of test.
"Okay I admit it, your aura is nothing to sneeze at, was that Lillim's doing?"
"If Lillim could bestow things like that easily, then mankind wouldn't have lasted a week, even after Samael fell back."
"Don't talk like you were there. You shouldn't speak lightly of such things."
"Except, I was there, not at the time but Lillim sent us back as a history lesson. As for not speaking lightly of such things, does that include Margo or?...." Carl's words made the variant flinch. "...Sorry, I did state it clearly that he can't hear me and my faction talking about it, didn't I?"
The variant with a gruff voice appeared. His right eye was covered in a thick white layer and a small chunk was missing from the bone around the socket, following the scatr that was almost certainly earned by taking a blade to the eye at some point.
"Forgive the idiot, immortality rendered his immaturity everlasting. Now, follow me Carl and I will show you to the others." He turned and started walking, then stopped and slowly turned to almost rest his chin on his shoulder with the damaged eye closest to them. "Problem."
"Well you only invited me to follow and I stay by my wife's side, clingy, I know. Unfortunately, we just spent a month apart whilst she underwent the Howling, so it's not a negotiable point at the moment."
"Only pure-"
"No worries, sorry for wasting your time." Carl opened a portal back to HQ and the man finally turned to face him with his full-attention.
"Fine. Carl and Klaire, please follow. I unfortunately can't allow her to, her mother's ability to see her children is indefensible."
"That's a shame as well."
The man sighed, clearly annoyed by Carl's confidence. "Send her back through your portal, you can have her as a gesture of good faith. Of course, whether or not that is permanent remains to be seen."
"I really don't get why the dragons seemed to think you were so uncompromising, so far you've been most agreeable." Carl shook his head with his palms raised to the ceiling, then followed along as the man grunted.