‘We’re almost there. Dim your torch and wait here for me; we don’t want to give ourselves away,’ Goer whispered, Rhys, starting a little at the abrupt break in the tense silence that filled the tunnel.

They had been moving steadily through these seemingly endless tunnels for what felt like several hours now. Rhys had seen more than a few turn-offs and branching tunnels, indicating that this was just one part of a larger network.

They’d already stopped twice when Goer thought that something nasty was moving nearby, so Rhys was quick to dim his torch and crouch down. Thankfully, after a few moments of waiting, they were able to carry on without issue.

The low light reduced Goer to little more than a splotch of darkness in front of him, one that crept forward and vanished out of sight.

Rhys was left alone, in the dark, with mysterious creatures nearby. It wasn’t exactly the sort of situation that Rhys wanted to be in, and the only comfort he had came from the pistol in his hand. Rhys tried to stay calm as best he could, but he could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

Just as Rhys was starting to feel as though the darkness was closing in around him, he heard a scuff of a boot on the rock up ahead as a familiar shape came back into the edge of the light.

‘Good news, Captain. As normal, there are three guards, and they’ve not been alerted yet. That means we have an opportunity to get in and out in no time at all, but I doubt you’re going to like my plan,’ Goer said as he settled down onto his haunches next to Rhys.

-**-

Rhys walked around a bend in the tunnel and saw the small cavern that Goer had described. Much like in the pirate camp, there were several light poles illuminating the area, which was dominated by a single large building. The general design and material were the same as the other buildings in Kolis, though this one was a lot boxier in shape.

Three guards were placed outside the building. Two of them sat at a table playing cards while one patrolled between the light poles, looking out into the darkness. Unlike in the pirate camp, there was only a small amount of mist down here, so the red light was able to bathe the whole area in an unsettling shade of crimson.

The guards at the table were closer to Rhys and Goer and noticed them first, one of them looking up with a frown as they grabbed the pistol holstered at their side.

‘Who’re you?’ The pirate called out gruffly, eyes narrowing as he took in that Goer was walking a few feet behind Rhys with his pistol trained on him.

‘Goer, I’m on Giannis’s crew. This is the captain of that ship we captured; Giannis has decided to give him some time with his crew to loosen his tongue.’ Goer called back as the two of them approached.

Rhys tried not to look too worried, but the weight of the pistol hidden in his jacket felt far beyond what it should have. All it would take here was one mistake, and there was a good chance that the pirates would kill both of them.

Goer had given Rhys the small pistol that he’d used to kill Giannis, as well as some sort of wearable holster that kept it concealed at his side. The pirate was confident that no one would notice the weapon at a casual glance, and Rhys had to admit that he’d not been able to tell when Goer was wearing it.

‘Sounds like Giannis, always shying away from doing things the hard way,’ the other pirate at the table said with a snort, their attention on the cards in their hand. Looking back at his comrade, the first pirate shrugged, let go of their pistol and went to pick up his cards.

‘Too true,’ Goer said with a chuckle, pushing Rhys gently in the small of the back to speed him up. ‘Let me get this one inside, and then I’ll join you for a hand or two.’

‘Hold up, no one goes in, Kassandra’s orders,’ the first pirate said, half-rising as he gestured for Rhys and Goer to stop. ‘They have to be watched as well, just in case.’

‘Fine, fine, one of you take him in,’ Goer said with an audible eye roll. ‘Now, deal me in. I’ve got shares in the loot from that ship and time to burn.’

The two pirates glanced at each other before the one that had started to rise sat down and called out to the third member of their group. ‘Jason, get over here and take the captain in to see the others.’

‘Will do, Cenon, but then it’s your turn to patrol, okay?’ The third pirate called out as he came over and idly waved Rhys forward.

‘Sure, sure,’ Cenon said, giving the other seated pirate a smirk before waving for Goer to join the two of them with a glint of avarice in his eyes. ‘Come on then, let’s see you put your money where your mouth is.’

Rhys gulped and tried to ignore his suddenly dry throat as he walked toward Jason, who was waiting between him and the building his crew were held prisoner inside. Goer’s whole plan rested on the assumption that the guards wouldn’t search him again as he was already a prisoner. Goer had been dismissive of the security here when he told Rhys his plan, but Rhys couldn’t help but worry as he approached the pirate.

‘Right, follow me, and don’t do anything stupid, okay? Jason said as he walked to the entrance, one hand on his pistol as he kept Rhys in his peripheral vision.

Rhys nodded, not trusting himself to say anything right now. A glance over at the table showed that Goer and the other two pirates were seated as Cenon dealt out cards. One of Goer’s hands was under the table, likely with his pistol already in hand.

Goer caught Rhys’s eye and gave an almost imperceptible nod before saying something that made both the other pirates nod. Looking back at Jason, Rhys watched with growing anxiety as the pirate opened the door and waved for Rhys to head inside.

Playing along, Rhys walked inside and stepped into a square room with two doors, one at either end of the room. Making Rhys stand close to one side, Jason walked over to the other, eyeing Rhys a final time before turning his back completely to open the door.

Almost mechanically, Rhys reached into his jacket and drew the compact pistol that Goer had given him, hand trembling violently as it rose to point at the oblivious pirate. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t pull the trigger.

‘Let me help you. I can feel your struggle,’ Zaxx’s whisper slipped into Rhys’s mind, pushing at the link that joined the two of them. Reaching out to meet him, Rhys felt a familiar yet intrinsically foreign presence seep into his mind and help him gain control.

The emotions, the fear, the anger, the guilt, all of it became manageable as Zaxx helped Rhys gain control for a split second. Just long enough for Rhys to pull the trigger.

The crack of the pistol filled the air as a blast of energy shot across the room and took the pirate square in the back, slamming them into the door as it burnt into them. The majority of the power of the blast was in its force, and it knocked the wind from the pirate as they fell, clutching their face where they’d hit the door.

Tears poured from Rhys’s eyes as he pulled the trigger repeatedly, the distant crack of pistol fire outside the building muted and beyond what he could take in. Turning away from the burnt corpse of the man he’d just murdered, Rhys gagged and threw up against the wall, the image of what he’d done searing itself into his mind.

‘Oh, well done, I didn’t know if you’d manage that,’ Goer said with a disinterested tone as he walked into the building, calmly stepping over to grab Jason’s body by the feet and drag it outside.

‘Thank you, Zaxx,’ Rhys whispered, thankful for his aid in controlling his emotions.

‘The pact called out to me with the urgency you felt. However, aiding you has diminished my energy, so I will be able to do little else outside the Endeavour.’ Zaxx’s whispers were faint, so much so that Rhys struggled to hear them clearly.

‘I understand,’ Rhys said, wiping his mouth and walking away from the wall. Zaxx had helped him, but Rhys knew that he was the one who had to see it through.

Part of Rhys thought that he should be more concerned over how Zaxx had just influenced his emotions, but he’d felt the impact on the link between them from what Zaxx did. It was hard to remain suspicious of someone who weakened themselves to help you.

‘After you, Captain,’ Goer said, leaning against the doorframe at the entrance to the room as he gestured at the door the pirate had been about to open.

‘Thank you,’ Rhys said, straightening his jacket and holstering his pistol as he collected himself and got his thoughts in order. He could break down about what he’d just done later. For now, he had to get them out of here. All of this was his responsibility, and he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to fix it.

Taking a deep breath, Rhys ignored the blood on the door and opened it, stepping inside with a pounding heart. The interior was much the same as the building he’d been kept in, a single large open-plan room which ticked all the basic requirements of a living space.

Unlike Rhys’s room, however, this one had several beds for sleeping and a large central table to sit around. Sat around that table, with matching shocked expressions, were Tom, Oliver and Lucy. They each looked somewhat unkempt and had a few bruises, but from how quickly they jumped to their feet, that seemed the extent of their injuries. Despite jumping to their feet, the three of them seemed frozen in surprise, and Rhys found no words to speak when he tried.

‘Captain?’ Tom’s hesitant question broke the tableau, and the three of them rushed toward Rhys with a barrage of questions before coming to an abrupt halt. Glancing over his shoulder, Rhys saw Goer standing behind him, weapon still in hand and a slight smirk on his face.

‘Don’t mind me, but we have precious little time, so it would be best to have your fond reunion back on the ship,’ Goer said, his smirk widening at the confused expressions on Rhys’s crew.

‘On the ship,’ Lucy echoed, her surprise turning into a suspicious frown as she eyed. ‘What’s going on here, Rhys?’ She turned her gaze to Rhys and waited expectantly for an explanation.

‘Honestly, I don’t know much more than you. This is Goer; he killed Giannis, freed me and brought me down to free you as well. With his help, we can get back to the Endeavour and get out of here,’ Rhys said uncomfortably, well aware of how little he knew about his saviour.

‘Why are you helping us?’ Lucy asked Goer bluntly, folding her arms and meeting Goer’s eyes defiantly.

‘It’s best that you don’t know,’ Goer said in a casual tone, echoing his words to Rhys earlier. ‘What matters is that we leave soon. The smell of blood will attract unwanted attention soon.’

‘How deep are we?’ Oliver asked abruptly, his voice laced with a level of anxiety that surprised Rhys, considering they were mid-rescue.

‘Deep enough,’ Goer said, sharing a significant look with Oliver that Rhys didn’t understand.

‘We need to listen to him and leave,’ Oliver said, putting action to words and heading for the door. Pausing next to Rhys and Goer, Oliver looked at each of them and gestured to Goer’s pistol, ‘any more of those?’

‘On the table outside,’ Goer said evenly, clearly not concerned about arming Rhys’s crew despite their suspicion.

‘Thank you,’ Oliver said before looking back at the others. ‘Lucy, now isn’t the time for this. We need to leave right now.’

‘I like him,’ Goer said with a lopsided smile as Oliver headed outside to claim a weapon. ‘He’s not wrong either. I’m heading back up with or without you.’ Goer nodded to Rhys and followed after Oliver at a more sedate pace than the cargomaster had taken.

‘What if it’s a trap,’ Lucy asked as Goer walked away, the suspicion in her eyes unchanged by the conversation.

‘We can’t afford to lose this chance. At the very least, this Goer is willing to shed blood to get us out of here,’ Tom said with a heavy shrug. ‘I’m going to see if I can find a weapon, and then we need to move.’

‘You’re right. I just don’t like that he’s not explaining why he’s helping,’ Lucy said with a grimace. Shaking her head, she pointed toward the exit and gestured for Rhys to lead the way. ‘Tom’s right that we don’t have a choice, so let’s go.’

‘For the record, I like it just as little as you do, but I like being here even less,’ Rhys said, spreading his hands in defeat.

Leading them back outside, Rhys watched with some concern as Goer strolled over and passed Lucy one of the pistols they’d claimed before turning his back on her and walking off. The whole exchange had been done with a smirk on his face, and Rhys shook his head at the pirate’s behaviour.

Remembering how friendly Goer had been with the two pirates at the cards table, Rhys shuddered a little. He was glad that Goer was on their side, or at least he hoped he was.