Confusion more than anything fills the room. Melena bolts for Soul as he slowly comes to.
"Hey, hey. Are you ok?" She asks.
"I..I think."
"What happened?"
"I...I don't know. All my systems were suddenly overridden."
"The hell happened, Demi?" Dillon yells.
"I'm...I'm not sure."
"You don't know?" He stomps toward me. "You said Cadence was working on something. This AI is now saying we need to stop her from doing something stupid. What is she planning?"
"All I know is she is building an fleet. Some peace force or something."
"For what?"
"I..."
"Demi!"
"I don't know, okay!" I yelled. "She never exactly told me her plan."
"Shit!"
Stella runs over to Dillon to calm him but he shakes her off, yelling, "I have nothing to say to you!" Then he storms for the staircase.
"Where are you going?" Melena asks.
"I am not going to be standing around here. I'm going to talk to my sister."
"We need to formulate a plan first. We still don't know what is going on."
"This whole mess started because my father was keeping secrets. This entire damn family was keeping secrets! We are not formulating shit!"
"Sir..."
"My sister is in danger and I am not letting anything happen to her. I already lost my father, I am not losing her too."
Everyone goes quiet. Melena immediately backs off, sighing a little before returning her attention to Soul. Dillon thinks for a moment, then turns back around and marching toward Stella. Clearly afraid, she backs away until she is stuck against the wall. She tries to avoid eye contact as he looks over her, straight into her eyes.
"You are going to tell me everything." He whispers.
"Okay."
"What is my sister planning?"
Everyone gathers around her as she looks off into the window, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. I place my hand on Dillon's chest and push him back, giving her some space. She takes a deep breath.
"Cadence wanted me to look into some testing with jump space, something to do with a scientist and some studies he was doing. But he refused our help."
"So she orders you to kidnap him?" I ask.
Stella nods her head.
"I don't believe you. My sister ordering a kidnapping?" Dillon asks.
"You have no idea what your sister is like. You only see the façade that she puts on! Your sister is a psychopath, Dillon. Heartless to no end. Her anger knows no bounds."
"You lie."
"She shot down a ship and triggered a starfire ignition, killing millions, just to get revenge on someone we are not even sure killed your father!"
"You...I."
"She not lying." I said.
"What?"
"Stella, what was her plan with Henderson?"
"Who?" she asks
"The scientist, what did she want from him?"
She turns to Dillon who at this point is just staring at her. I don't think he is angry anymore, just confused. His life is coming undone before his eyes and all he can do is watch. Stella continues, "She was trying to find your mother."
Dillon doesn't respond.
"I am so sorry." she says breaking down into tear. "She made me promise not to tell you."
"Why?" he asks, gently grabbing both of her shoulders and pulls in close. "Why did you feel you couldn't tell me?"
"Because she threatened your life!"
Dillon jumps back.
"I...she...wouldn't..."
He shuts down for a moment, standing deep into thought as he looks into the sky. For five whole minutes, he says nothing.
"Demi." Dillon says, suddenly turning his attention to me. "Call the Luther. We need a ship here to secure the scene."
"That won't be necessary." Soul says as he starts to return to normal. "There is a friendly ship nearby already."
"What?"
Dillon runs to the nearby window, searching through the sky. I do the same on the other side of the room and spot it far out into the horizon. It's hard to notice at first, but as I focus more on the ship I start to notice definitive features. The bridge for example was shaped in a dome and sat above the ship. Its guns were deployed and aimed...straight at us. Wait a minute.
"Guys? Is that the Stellar Flare?" I ask.
Dillon runs across the room and looks out the window. His eyes grow wide as he spots the same thing I do.
"Is it...oh shit!"
"What's going on?" Melena asks
"We are about to be shot at!"
"What? We cannot make it back down the tower in time."
Everyone scans the room for answers, until a light passes through the window ahead and an idea triggers in my head.
"Then we jump." I said.
"What?"
"Soul, can you catch us?"
"Engines are already spinning up."
"Perfect."
"I don't want to jump!" Stella says, panicking. Dillon grabs her hand and holds it tightly.
"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" he asks
"They are spinning up the orbital cannon, Demi. Our window is closing fast!"
"Then its time to go!"
We all gather in the center of the room and in one motion bolt for the window with Soul leading the way. The sky cracks and roars as the Stellar Flare fires it shot and everything goes white.