2021 AB Oberon Pirates Incursion

The 2021 AB Oberon Pirates Incursion was a major event where the PHIA Phorce visited the planet Merin, the homeworld of Kristoph Langusten. During that time, they encountered some of Kristoph's old friends and foes.

Preparing for a Trip to Merin

With a sum of money earned from the PHIA Phorce's victory at the Games Arena, the possibility of physically moving to Yeddo presented itself to Kristoph. In addition to just having completed his bachelor's degree in virtuoarchaeology, it was a tantalizing prospect to rent out an apartment and live among the friends he grew close to in the past year. However, one thing that was holding him back was some unresolved business, which he previously brought up with Clara Zauberin during the 2021 AB Yeddo Games Arena Spring Tournament. The authorities on Merin had yet to catch the Dark Mage, a Rampant doppelganger of Kristoph who had been causing post-war havoc alongside the Oberon Pirates. Kristoph did not feel comfortable moving away just yet, as he felt he would be leaving his family behind to deal with something he considered himself responsible for.

With summer vacation having started, Sophia Delphi, Angela Harrison and Kristoph technically had some free time. Joshua Harrison, however, was fairly busy at the Onion Arcade, so he could not spare quite as much time, but he was still able to drop by periodically. Sophia and Angela both decided to use the time to take a trip to Merin just to visit Kristoph, giving him the chance to meet them in person. Before they left, the team recalled the incident of Sophia falling into the water in the Condemned Zone and struggling how to swim. They figured it was time for Sophia to properly learn how, given they were going to a water planet. Sophia was concerned over how long it might take, but Kristoph insisted that he'd much rather her not die were she to fall overboard.

While Kristoph would prepare himself to receive guests, Sophia and Angela spent some time at the pool to practice swimming and other water survival techniques. Twinkle would also try to coach Sophia, though he made her wear inhibitors for her technokinesis so as not to accidentally electrify the entire pool and herself.

After having sufficiently practiced swimming, Sophia and Angela were ready to go, though Sophia was still very nervous. She had thalassophobia, meaning that even setting foot on Merin was going to terrify her. It did not help matters that Merin's oceans were far deeper than Yeddo's and there were a sizeable amount of giant sea creatures, a few of which were predators. But Sophia decided it was important to go in person for Kristoph's sake. Angela of course went along to look after her. Joshua could only join as a vrNet avatar, but would still be able to help out as if he were actually there.

Sophia and Angela boarded an interstellar transport ship at Port Oraulan. For both of them, it was actually the first time they traveled off-world. As the planet was entirely covered in ocean, the entire population lived on either vehicles such as boats or in underwater settlements. The trip itself was not long. With a spacefold drive, the transport ship jumped from Yeddo to Merin's orbit instantaneously. It was only the process of boarding and exiting the ship that was lengthy, taking at least several hours.

Arrival at Merin

With Joshua's vrNet avatar appearing shortly after, Sophia and Angela finally arrived at Sky Gate, a city floating in the clouds using giant helium-filled balloons. It was a transition area to get from planet's orbit to the ocean's surface. Almost immediately upon arriving on a platform within the atmosphere, Sophia started to succumb to motion sickness. Thankfully, Angela came to the rescue with some medications to soothe her upset stomach. Naturally, Angela took some for herself as a preventative measure. Joshua reassured them both that it was a normal reaction to visiting other planets. Little details such as Merin's slightly higher gravity, atmospheric composition, and even the fact that they were all aboard seafaring vehicles would contribute to the disorientation of being on another planet.

Kristoph only arrived a short moment after in person to meet them. Both Sophia and Angela each gave him a hug, with Angela almost tackling him. Kristoph temporarily became emotionally overwhelmed, having finally met some close friends properly in person. He quickly composed himself and suggested that they grab food somewhere to give themselves the chance to acclimatize to the environment. Of course, given that Joshua was using a vrNet avatar, he would primarily be sampling holographic sensations, though he didn't mind.

The team went to a small seafood restaurant. They noted the prices were a little high, but Kristoph mentioned that it was to be expected. Many of the common fishing spots became polluted following the Virtual Wars resulting in general food shortages. It was also the reason why real food on Yeddo was so expensive, and why Mimi Delphi had to jump through a lot of hoops to keep her business runnning. Nevertheless, Sophia encouraged the rest of the team to help themselves. It was only right to celebrate the occasion, as they still had plenty to enjoy following their victory at the Games Arena.

Angela was eager to try out Merinian pasta at the restaurant. She particularly enjoyed a sample of seaweed based spaghetti. Sophia tried out a lobber at the request of Kristoph himself. The lobber, which was a Merinian crustacean that convergently evolved to look like a lobster, was a signature delicacy from his family - House Langusten were not only a noble house of Merin, but they also were involved in the fishing business. Joshua on the other hand helped himself to some rum, or at least a simulated taste of it. He planned to bring back a bottle for himself so that he could later try it out for real.

The group also noticed that Kristoph in particular ordered extra helpings of dessert. Kristoph justified himself, saying that nanobot mages expend a lot of energy using their powers, and that he needed to retain his bodily sugars. Naturally, Sophia remarked that he was going to be one of Mimi's favorite customers as soon as he arrived on Yeddo in person.

The group concluded their meal, with Angela kindly reminding everyone to take more motion sickness meds to ensure their lunches stayed inside of them as they explored the rest of the planet. Kristoph chimed in and explained that Merinians were naturally more resistant to motion sickness than other off world humans, but he took some anyway following one of Angela's lengthy rants about human metabolism.

Sightseeing

The PHIA Phorce had the chance to do a bit of sightseeing. Immediately following lunch, they checked out the Noble Aquarium, a place where specimens of various wildlife were kept for educational and research purposes. They learned about the assortment of Merin's native, exotic wildlife from the different types of coral to the immense variety of crustaceans. They also learned of some of the more terrifying creatures such as the Merinian kraken, one of the largest predators on the planet.

After the aquarium, they wandered about various city ships, exploring the local attractions as well as some miniature museums covering the known history of Merin. According to legend, the machine god Poseidon once fought in an ancient war to protect the galaxy from a rogue AI. He was considered a patron deity for the Merinians. While he was still alive in the present day, he wiped his own memories following the Blackout to ensure his knowledge could not be used to threaten the galaxy ever again.

Later in the day, the group decided to relax at a pool aboard a cruise ship. Sophia once more took the opportunity to practice her swimming. Up to this point, their trip to Merin had been fairly uneventful as they had the chance to unwind.

The Kraken

The PHIA Phorce's time at the pool would soon be interrupted. The boat they were on suddenly began making irregular movements, lurching side to side in a way that didn't flow with the natural waves. The other passengers on the ship began to worry that the ship had hit something or was about to capsize. Soon enough, the cause of the disturbance had shown itself. A Merinian kraken had risen to the surface, and it had been unrelentingly slamming the ship with its tentacles.

The kraken's appearance was considered highly unusual. Kristoph insisted that they normally don't attack ships unless they had accidentally mistaken one for their normal prey which were usually giant crabs and smaller squids. However, the creature was still acting very abnormal. It was highly aggressive as if it were in some sort of blind, distressing rage. Nevertheless, Sophia, Angela and Kristoph quickly grabbed their equipment and got ready for battle, even while in swimwear. Kristoph focused on trying to stabilize the boat with his nanobots while Angela and Sophia did their best to ward off the kraken's tentacles. Joshua, as a vrNet projection, would help to guide civilians to safety until the Federation authorities were able to arrive.

Even after they had dealt some serious blows, the kraken was still relentlessly attacking as if it had a death wish of its own. That was when Twinkle chimed in, saying that he detected a Rampant nearby. It was identified as an Aggravator which specialized in emitting signals that caused the local wildlife to become incredibly hostile. Someone had planted it there. At that point, Twinkle suggested Sophia to direct her attention to neutralizing the Rampant. Thus, Sophia went into a meditative stance, attempting to psychically locate it nearby.

Eventually, Sophia found the Rampant hidden underwater in the form of a robotic construct in the shape of some sort of starfish with a singular eyeball at its center. Mentally projecting herself, Sophia hacked into it, fighting past its firewalls. However, she couldn't quite reach it as it being underwater somewhat muddied her connection. That's when she realized that she was going to have to get closer to it.

Kristoph suggested the best way to get close enough to the Rampant was to lower her down with nanobot platforms. Naturally, this would get her terrifyingly close to the kraken, and she would have to hope for the best to not get eaten by it. It was more important than ever to make use of her synergy with her teammates.

As Sophia hopped down Kristoph's nanobot platforms down the side of the ship. On the way down there, she got a close look at the kraken which stared back at her with one of its enormous eyes. Even from a non-human alien creature, Sophia could see its distressed look as if it were begging for help. Twinkle reassured her to be brave, and that she had already faced far worse by this point.

Sitting atop one of Kristoph's platforms, Sophia entered her technokinetic trance once more locating the Aggravator. It was attempting to get away, but she managed to lock onto it, hacking back past its firewalls. Through great effort, she cut off the Aggravator's signal. That instant, she noticed the kraken's pupil reduce its dilation and it eased its grip on the ship, scurrying back beneath the waves.

However, the fight was not quite over yet. The Aggravator, having caught onto its disruption, leaped out of the water and knocked Sophia from the platform and into the water where the waves began to sweep her up. Quickly following up, Joshua landed a single sniper shot on the Rampant, hitting its eye and destroying it.

Sophia was still being carried away by the waves, but Kristoph strained his nanobots from trying to hold the entire ship together. He was unable to create more platforms to help her out. Angela, acting quickly, boarded a life boat and lowered herself to the water's surface. In a brief moment of relief, something rose from beneath the waves that relieved Sophia of having to stay afloat in the open ocean. It was the kraken again, except it was the top of its head. Angela managed to get close enough to throw Sophia her whip which she grabbed onto. Apparently, the kraken had chosen to help Sophia as a thanks for dealing with the Rampant. Despite being utterly terrified of the beast, Sophia could not say no to the assist.

Aftermath of the Kraken

In a short time, the Merin Kingsguard and some Federation officers arrived, some of which were killer whales. The PHIA Phorce recounted to them what had happened as well as the Rampant that had been responsible. The police almost suspected Kristoph before recalling that it was not likely him, but the Dark Mage that may have caused the incident. Further evidence towards came from the recovered remains of the destroyed Rampant which hinted towards the Dark Mage's handiwork.

While there were no casualties given that the PHIA Phorce were quick to act, Kristoph was still troubled. Kristoph wondered if the Dark Mage learned of the PHIA Phorce's arrival and chose to taunt him. He was also worried about the fact that he strained himself during the kraken encounter. He wondered if he was going to be strong enough to face the Dark Mage.

One of the bystanders to the incident was a killer whale named Kyara of the Sea Catchers who recognized Sophia in particular. Kyara heard of the PHIA Phorce from the vrNet. Surprised at this, Sophia asked the killer whale where she learned about them. Kyara explained that she had watched the broadcast of their tournament at the Games Arena, and she was really excited to see where they would go from there. Having more and more support for their actions was certainly something to boost morale.

Mages' Tower

The Dark Mage's return was one of Kristoph's fears that had come to pass. Despite this, they were still relatively prepared to handle the unfolding situation. The rest of the PHIA Phorce had packed their combat equipment with them in the event something like this were to happen. It would be time regroup and plan their next move. Their destination was the Mages' Tower, a retrofitted space elevator now a boarding school for nanomages. Kristoph's place of residence was at the bottom floor beneath the ocean where the faculty had been allowing him to stay within some unused rooms.

As they got closer to the Mages' Tower from aboard their boat, a storm began to roll in. It was something to be expected given Merin's status as an ocean planet along with the extreme tides caused by the planet's two moons. They also noticed a few spots of ruined ships and pollution, giving a rather gloomy look to the area. They were remnants of the Virtual Wars that had not yet been cleaned up. An organization called Blacktide has been undertaking efforts to contain the pollution as much as possible.

After docking at the Mages' Tower, Kristoph showed the PHIA Phorce around, including his own dwelling. It was a little cramped. There were no windows. Against the walls was an assortment of boxes and other bulky items taking up space. For a nobleman, it was not exactly the most pristine of places. However, its general remoteness made it easy to plan things in secret. In his spare time, Kristoph had been tracking the whereabouts of the MRS Macbeth, the ship used by the Dark Mage and the Oberon Pirates. Unsurprisingly, they had been evading the authorities by hiding out in Merin's Condemned Zones, regions of the planet where Federation law enforcement and emergency services were not permitted to intervene. This was due to an uneasy truce with the nations that were part of the Insurgency, which included House Oberon which the Oberon Pirates were part of.

Kristoph was hesitant to get the rest of them involved, as he especially didn't want Sophia's and Angela's summer vacation going to waste. That idea was put aside very quickly as Sophia insisted that it was the PHIA Phorce's turn to help him after the Raid on the Cult of Kronos and the Hunt for the White Angel. Sophia also stressed that going on these sorts of adventures was fun for her. She admitted that despite almost drowning in the ocean, she couldn't deny the thrill of engaging in a bit of heroics. And of course, catching the Dark Mage and the Oberon Pirates was more than certainly going to lead to a monetary reward.

To help lock onto the Dark Mage's position, Twinkle would need some sort of scan pattern to use a basis which would help filter out all the activity they might encounter. Because the Dark Mage was a consciousness clone of Kristoph, examining Kristoph's mind would help narrow things down. Kristoph was hesitant, but he allowed Twinkle to poke around for a little while.

Merin's Condemned Zone

Getting to Merin's Condemned Zone was not going to be as straight forward as it was on Yeddo given that they could not simply walk there. Sailing into the polluted waters was not only dangerous due to Rampant infestations, but the ship itself had to be reliably seaworthy due to the debris and pollution to navigate around. That was where they had to turn to Blacktide. Kristoph had a connection there as he once mentored an aspiring young nanomage named Alphonse Reefwood who later joined Blacktide after finishing his training at the Mages' Tower.

Kristoph arranged a meeting with Alphonse, hoping to borrow a ship that could be used to clear a path to the Condemned Zone. Alphonse, more than happy to do a favor for his old mentor, agreed to help. After asking the right people very nicely, Alphonse managed to secure the MRS Orpheus, an old but capable ship that could navigate the more polluted regions of the ocean. Despite Kristoph's warnings that they were going somewhere dangerous, Alphonse volunteered to come along anyway, serving as the ship's helmsman.

Following the trail based on Kristoph's findings took a long time. The storms rolling in led to rough waters, but in spite of that, they witnessed other ships from Blacktide attempting cleanup. They appeared as cargo ships with magnetic cranes and large nets to gather trash and refuse. Other nanomages were using their powers to precisely guide the machinery and to grab loose scraps that were otherwise not easy to obtain.

As they got closer to the Condemned Zone's entrance, the water turned a sickly green color due to spilled chemicals in the area. Trash and the floating, rotting carcasses of dead fish dotted the surface. Sophia and Angela almost immediately begin to gag at the stench. Fortunately, Alphonse came with appropriate equipment. Because the area they would be going into was highly toxic, they would all have to don plague masks along with rubber suits to wear underneath their clothes. Not only to protect them from the awful smell, but also any inherently airborne chemicals that could be leaking out from the pollution.

Finally, they made it past a series of warning buoys marking off the edge of the Condemned Zone where they could see dense clusters of the wrecks of abandoned ships. This was the Toxic Ship Graveyard. A disgusting place made more depressing by the dreary overcast and pouring rain. They all received a grim reminder that this was the result of the Virtual Wars, and it was heartbreaking to see what was essentially destroyed beauty. Kristoph took the moment to thank Alphonse for his work in Blacktide making such an effort to prevent the rest of the planet looking like what they saw.

The path was treacherous. They had to dodge debris to avoid the MRS Orpheus getting punctured by rebar, steel beams or other obstacles. There were even leftover sea mines from the war that were still primed.

In addition to the other hazards, they found more Aggravator Rampants. Hostile, mutated sea creatures that would surface and ram themselves mindlessly against the boat, some of which were big enough to cause it to rock back and forth. Thankfully, there was nothing big enough to cause a capsize, but they nonetheless had to clear them out.

Surveying the area took some time, but Twinkle's ability to sense Rampants made locking onto the Dark Mage's position much easier. They knew he was close, but they had difficulty finding his exact location at first. However, after getting far enough, an explosive device came hurdling their way in an arc like a mortar. With Kristoph's and Alphonse's quick thinking, they contained the device with their nanobots before the explosion could do any damage. When Twinkle triangulated where it came from, it was another ship hiding among the wreckage. As it emerged, the name upon it was clear: the MRS Macbeth.

The crew of the Macbeth soon emerged upon the deck to show themselves. Henry Teach, a Bugbear and ruthless captain. Clockhands, an older model android with two additional arms, a chimpanzee named Baldassarre with a parrot named Pauline and a killer whale named Bloodtooth the Exiled swimming in the toxic waters. An additional figure emerged with an identical silhouette as Kristoph - the Dark Mage.

The Macbeth was the source of the explosive, the crew having fired a shot to test the resolve of the PHIA Phorce. But now that they had met one another face to face, they had the chance to talk for a bit in a confrontation. The PHIA Phorce got the vibe that they were disgruntled with the Federation. They had some sort of grudge left over from the war. Henry Teach seemed the most reasonable and levelheaded of the group. However, from an outside perspective, it was clear that despite Teach being captain, the Dark Mage was the one pulling the strings. While the other crew members were motivated by some sort of personal beef over the Federation, the Dark Mage was clearly motivated in seeing Kristoph suffer and nothing else.

Battle with the Oberon Pirates

A battle at sea had begun. The PHIA Phorce worked together to man the different stations of the Orpheus while also using their own equipment and abilities to fight. Sophia launched plasma bolts while Kristoph formed some makeshift projectiles of his own, while also creating defensive barriers. The Macbeth returned fire with their own array of weapons that came equipped with the ship.

It seemed at first that the PHIA Phorce had the advantage, but then something else began hitting the Orpheus. Packs of mutated Merinian anomalocaris charged at the ship, ramming at it. The Oberon Pirates had Aggravator Rampants at their side and had quickly gained the numerical advantage. Teach offered the PHIA Phorce the opportunity to surrender to which they obviously said no. The fighting continued, although they had much more to worry about with an army of Rampants and frenzied sea creatures all honing in on their position.

While the PHIA Phorce held steady, the Oberon Pirates took on a far more aggressive stance. The Macbeth began to close the distance between it and the Orpheus and made an attempt to board. Baldassarre leaped across with Pauline and landed on the Orpheus, ready to engage in melee combat. Clockhands followed right behind, using his additional limbs for easy grappling and climbing.

After a time, the Dark Mage began to prove a more prominent threat. Compared to the other pirates, the Dark Mage fought the dirtiest. Using his nanobots, the Dark Mage grabbed random pieces of wreckage and threw it directly at the Orpheus, throwing the ship slightly off balance. Bloodtooth took advantage and began to rock the ship even more, hoping to knock at least one PHIA Phorce member overboard so he could eat them.

Alphonse took the lead in using his nanobots to stabilize the Orpheus, while Kristoph concentrated his efforts on the Dark Mage. Kristoph chased him down to try to draw him away from the Orpheus. The ship graveyard had plenty of other wreckage to use as platforms, and their duel took them away from the main fight so that it was only the two of them. Effectively facing himself, Kristoph took the battle with the Dark Mage aboard a nearby abandoned oil tanker. The two of them used their nanobots to effectively form giant hands that flung shipping containers at one another.

Back at the Orpheus, Alphonse had managed to destroy the Macbeth by piercing its hull with his nanobots, letting it sink into the waters below. Joshua managed to subdue Clockhands while Angela managed to knock out Baldassarre and Pauline. Sophia followed suit, managing to defeat Henry Teach. Bloodtooth still stirred in the water, but he chose to bide his time, waiting for the right moment to strike. Teach was impressed with their teamwork and coordination, and in the downtime, he took a moment to admire their work. Teach had shown himself to be far more honorable and was perfectly understanding of the circumstances, having explained he held no personal grudges. He was in it purely for the money, but he warned that some of his compatriots were in it for the bloodlust.

Just when it looked like they were finally about to win, a large shipping container came hurdling their way, suddenly slamming against the Orpheus and causing major damage. The sudden motion flung Angela overboard and into the polluted waters below. While she managed to stay afloat, Bloodtooth began to charge towards her, taunting her on how he was going to devour her in front of her friends.

Joshua attempted to make a dash to dive into the water, but Clockhands breaking free of his confinement took advantage of Joshua's gap in his defenses and landed a clean hit on him, damaging his vrNet avatar and making him far less solid. With Alphonse nearly straining himself in stabilizing the ship and Kristoph being occupied with the Dark Mage, Sophia found herself having no choice. She leaped into the water to protect Angela. Just as the killer whale was about to chomp down on Angela, Sophia let out bolts of plasma to electrocute Bloodtooth, instantly killing him.

Sophia and Angela clambered out of the water onto another nearby piece of floating wreckage. Henry Teach witnessed the entire affair, but he admitted he was not going to miss Bloodtooth. Though Sophia had reservations about what just happened, Angela was thankful regardless that she saved her life, and Joshua was thankful that Sophia saved his daughter.

The Turning Tide

With things having calmed down for a brief moment, Kristoph seemingly returned, stating that he defeated the Dark Mage, and that they were ready to head out. Kristoph somehow seemed unphased by the whole ordeal, but nonetheless was eager to head home. With the other remaning Oberon Pirates now locked in the brig, Alphonse plotted a course out of the Toxic Ship Graveyard.

Having set sail for a little while, Sophia could not shake off a feeling that something was wrong. Despite the battle coming to a decisive end with some bounties acquired, Sophia kept worriedly pacing around. Angela suggested that she needed to distract herself. With plenty of vacation time left, perhaps they could spend a long time washing up in a nice bath, and perhaps become utterly relaxed at a lounge. So many luxuries sounded great right about to them.

Despite this, the suspicions got the best of Sophia. She had noticed that ever since they got back, Kristoph had been acting out of character. He seemed way less eccentric than his usual self. Thus, Sophia decided to find where he was on the ship. When she followed, what Sophia discovered was horrifying. She had walked in on Kristoph on the verge of choking the life out of Alphonse by filling his lungs with nanobots. That's when she realized it wasn't Kristoph. It was the Dark Mage who had taken his place.

Twinkle profusely apologized for not noticing. Somehow, the Dark Mage had learned how to conceal his signal better, and Twinkle had somehow missed it. On instinct, Sophia attempted a mindhack on the Dark Mage like she did with previous Rampants. Curiously, it seemed too easy. She essentially walked past the firewalls as if a metaphorical door was left open. But what she found inside was not a single shred of humanity. No misunderstood entity calling out for help or begging to be put to rest. Just pure malice and evil. The Dark Mage willingly showed her all the horrific things he had done right down to framing Kristoph for the terrible crimes he committed. Sophia immediately pulled back out, utterly terrified of what she saw while the Dark Mage grinned menacingly back. The Dark Mage proclaimed that the only reason he was keeping any of the PHIA Phorce members alive was so that when Kristoph returned, he would watch his friends suffer.

The Dark Mage shortly after revealed himself to Angela and Joshua, holding Sophia and Alphonse hostage. Firstly, he made swift work of Joshua's avatar, destroying it to essentially cut him off so that he wouldn't pose a threat anymore. With his connection to Merin now severed, there was nothing Joshua could do anymore as he would be unable to print another avatar in time to do anything. He began to fear the worst.

The Dark Mage also released the other captured pirates who would all guard the other PHIA Phorce members, who were now their prisoners. They confiscated their weapons and bound their hands.

Hostage Situation

Elsewhere, Kristoph awoke from being unconscious for a short while. He found himself laying on his back inside an abandoned ship in a room buried in rubble and debris, trapping him where he was. Worse yet, a leak had sprung and the area was filling with water. He would not have long before his head would go under. The Dark Mage had defeated him and had seemingly left him to die.

However, realizing that the Dark Mage likely went back to the PHIA Phorce to manipulate and trick them, a burning resolve welled up inside him. He gathered what nanobots he could and forced the rubble out of the way so that he could escape. After climbing to the top of the wreck, he realized he needed a way to catch up. Thinking quickly and getting inspired by Sophia's Shooting Star move, he made a giant nanobot hand that instead of throwing Sophia, would throw himself. Due to the large amount of floating wreckage, Kristoph was able to navigate the Toxic Ship Graveyard for quite a substantial distance just by hopping atop it. After a few more leaps and bounds, he hoped he would be able to catch up.

When Kristoph arrived at the Orpheus in another part of the Toxic Ship Graveyard, he found the Dark Mage holding Alphonse, Sophia and Angela atop the deck, bound and held hostage. Henry Teach, Clockhands, Baldassarre and Pauline all stood guard. At that point, the Dark Mage threatened to kill them if Kristoph refused to cooperate. Kristoph begged for the Dark Mage to let them go and to take him instead. The Dark Mage proclaimed that he had no demands, only wishing to see Kristoph suffer out of spite.

It was at that moment that Henry Teach stepped in, saying that the Dark Mage was going too far. Henry explained that the hostages would be more valuable alive and healthy since they could ransom them instead. The Dark Mage, however, didn't listen, now utterly consumed in his hatred and going rogue. Using his nanobots to form pointed tendrils, he pierced Henry Teach's heart. Clockhands, Baldassarre and Pauline, taken aback by this betrayal, chose to attack the Dark Mage.

In the confusion, Kristoph took the opportunity to use his own nanobots to release the other PHIA Phorce members from their bindings to help them get back in the fight. In a situation of sharing a common enemy, Clockhands, Baldassarre and Pauline temporarily allied themselves with the PHIA Phorce in taking down the Dark Mage. They all teamed up with Twinkle boosting their abilities and fighting resolve.

In a decisive strike, Kristoph dealt the final blow to the Dark Mage with a well-placed nanobot spear. Now immobilized, the Dark Mage began to disintegrate, giving Kristoph one last chance to have a short parting, conversation. As the Dark Mage drew his last breath, he dissolved into a pile of shredded hardlight glass. The remaining Oberon Pirates surrendered as there was no need for them to continue the fight.

It was finally over, or so they thought. Just before the Dark Mage vanished, Kristoph could swear he caught him smirking maliciously.

The Dark Mage's Last Laugh

Kristoph had become utterly exhausted, having strained himself so much to the point where he needed some time to recharge his abilities. However, the Dark Mage had one last trick. During the fight, he had rigged the Orpheus on a collision course with a nearby shipwreck. With the controls busted, they didn't have a way to avoid it. The PHIA Phorce and the surviving Oberon Pirates teamed up to manually redirect the ship, but it was to no avail. They were about to crash and most likely sink into the toxic waters below.

As they were about to do a head on collision, Alphonse followed his instincts and used his own nanobots to push the wreckage out of the way. Kristoph warned him that he was going to strain himself, but he didn't listen and he kept going. Alphonse said that there was no other way, and he wanted his friends to make it out alive. While he succeeded in pushing the wreckage away and clearing a path, he collapsed to the ground unconscious with blood oozing from his nose.

Angela hopped in as quickly as she could, conducting first aid treatment to stop the worst of the injuries, but they would need a doctor. Thankfully, with Alphonse clearing a path, they were nonetheless able to safely steer the ship out of the Condemned Zone. The PHIA Phorce was in his debt for saving their lives.

After a short time, they managed to rendezvous with other Blacktide ships. With the help of other nanomages, they succeeded in slowing down the out of control Orpheus to a complete stop. The surviving Oberon Pirates willingly surrendered themselves into custody, while medical personnel were dispatched to tend to the wounds of everyone. Alphonse was taken into an emergency ward on one of the ships. While he managed to awaken, the doctors revealed some grim news: Alphonse had strained himself so hard using his nanobots that his implants shortcircuited. He would never be able to use his nanobot powers ever again.

Kristoph became overwhelmed with regret, holding himself responsible, but the other PHIA Phorce members assured him it wasn't his fault. It was only the Dark Mage to blame. Alphonse maintained a positive attitude though, and that he stood by what he did, feeling it was the right thing to do. He thanked the PHIA Phorce for giving him an experience that he won't forget.

The PHIA Phorce also managed to get a hold of Joshua through a vrNet call. He was relieved to see Angela, Kristoph and Sophia make it out of the situation relatively unscathed. But they felt very bad for Alphonse. More than likely, he was going to need a career change. Thus, the PHIA Phorce extended the offer for Alphonse to come to Yeddo and start fresh there to which he said that he will think about it. Whatever the case, Alphonse hoped they would meet again someday.

What haunted Kristoph the most about the whole affair was that given the Dark Mage was his consciousness clone, in another life, he could have turned out just like him. But it was still a mystery to him over who created the Dark Mage, and what was there to gain from it. Not to mention, he knew that had he refused the original consciousness backup program during his nanomage training, the entire situation could have been avoided.

Joshua reminded everyone that many things could have gone differently, but that was just how things were. The PHIA Phorce was just a small group of people right now, and the galaxy was a big place. There was a real risk of involving forces far larger than they could possibly hope to handle alone. But every person they still managed to help still mattered. In defeating the Dark Mage, it was one less threat that put the lives of innocent people at risk. Not to mention, for the capture and defeat of the crew of the MRS Macbeth, the Merinian government rewarded the PHIA Phorce with a sizeable bounty.

In the meantime, Kristoph vowed to get stronger. He wanted to train himself even further to avoid a situation where straining himself would cause people to get seriously hurt. Sophia and Angela agreed in that they should continue honing their skills as well. Before Joshua left the call, however, he told them they needed to rest. They were on vacation after all, and they still had some time left before they had to go home.

After parting ways with Blacktide and Alphonse, the PHIA Phorce mutually agreed they needed to do something completely relaxing and destressing. Not to mention, getting cleaned up from all the toxic filth in the Condemned Zone. They unanimously decided to go to a spa. A hot tub and a massage parlor awaited them along with copious indulgence in seafood.

Unfinished Business

As the vacation approached its end, Kristoph bid farewell to Sophia and Angela. They naturally replied that Kristoph ought to come back with them to Yeddo by this point. Kristoph agreed, now believing it was time to upgrade his dwellings. And he knew that in order to become stronger, he would need to be in person anyway as being in a vrNet avatar only allowed him to go so far. He promised them that he will be seeing them again soon.

After parting ways at Sky Gate, Sophia and Angela took a transport ship back to Yeddo. Kristoph decided to go back to speak with his family, who had since moved to live on a ship previously owned by House Zauberin. He spoke with his parents again, recounting everything that happened in the past year and also told them that the Dark Mage was finally gone for good. It was a heartfelt reunion, and his parents told him how proud they were of him. They actively encouraged him to permanently move to Yeddo to be with his friends. And they also suggested to him that while over there, perhaps he might find someone special along the way.

In the next few weeks, Kristoph would begin picking out an apartment on Yeddo where a new era of his life would be upon him.

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