#aeos ic

@actualfuturesoldat

When the appointed time came, Fenriux was not found at his usual duty station. While his subordinates handled his everyday responsibilities, the major had since switched his service uniform to his combat fatigues. He had since departed for the dreadnought’s gym, performing his preliminary stretches prior to his match with Dan’Taerix.

@bordercrssing

Despite initial misgivings, Providentius allowed Pherios to participate in combat deployments with the Marines, and thus far had seemed to serve with exemplary performance.

To Fenriux, it was yet another piece of the puzzle; Pherios could have gotten into any station he would have wished to, but he went into Intelligence with the Fleet that acted on it least. In terms of upward mobility, he was also considerably hamstrung. As far as he could ascertain, his choice of assignment was purely for his desire to imitate and impress the Admiral, whom he looked up to as some sort of hero.

Fenriux huffed. Pherios had little direction of his own that he could claim.

@actualfuturesoldat

Days spent on deployment did not feel particularly different to Providentius than some of his more quiet times on leave, especially since his latest assigned routes kept him close to the home systems. They made regular stops between Digeris and Palaven, and passed by the major refueling and mining installations between to ensure the Hierarchy’s logistical infrastructure carried on uninhibited. During these times, Providentius spent less time on the bridge and more among his men.

Currently, the Admiral sat down to observe some of the sparring matches between the marines, occasionally officiating the matches. Some were stress-relief fights, others were to settle scores fairly, and a few boiled down to just close-combat drills put into a practical setting. 

@distractables

“The new analyst under your command...how long has he served in the Intelligence division?”

Fenriux glanced up from the datapad in his claws, and set it aside and stood up. “Pherios? A year or so, now. You remind me, his performance review is due. What about him?”

Providentius nodded. “I remember the name. When you make the arrangements for his evaluation, I would like to also be in attendance; in a non-official capacity only, you can make mention of this to him if he is worried about my presence.”

Fenriux raised an eyebrow plate. “So what is your intention, then?”

“Same as yours, only less official.”

“Point being? He faced your trials, and you considered him worthy. What left is there for you to except for a rehash?”

“He did, in part. His intentions during the sparring were...pragmatic, but not necessarily selfless. He has talent, and skill, but it has to be properly nurtured to be of benefit of others. I would see how he has grown since then, under your tutelage.”

Fenriux chuckled. “So it is to be assessment of my own skills to mentor and to lead?”

Providentius nodded slowly. “In part, but also to see how receptive he is to teaching.”

@xern-polito

It was the first time Aeos had seen Digeris.

Standing by himself on the bridge of his freighter, Aeos watched the approach of the planet with growing stillness, his incessant pacing having died to a mix of the inner resolve and a deeper fear that froze his limbs in place. Sooner or later he knew he would disembark on the surface, and hopefully by then quashed his concerns with the knowledge that he had fully committed himself. After that, he could not dwell on regrets made from decisions in the moment; he would have to follow through, as best he could to achieve his objectives.

Were it not for the Admiral himself calling in a favor, Aeos would have rejected the request, even though he knew it was crucial to his ally. Soon after his departure, Providentius had forwarded him details on two main persons of interest; Nivious’s father, Caldonis Valephion, and the CEO of Armax Arsenal, Okelius Chronol.

The latter he knew, or at least the surname thereof. A basic search confirmed his suspicions; Okelius was related to the Iunius and Caelus, whom he had crossed path with a year earlier. Providentius, however, was primarily concerned with Caldonis’s medical condition, a neurodegenerative disease, Corpalis Syndrome, and some experimental treatments with funding that linked back to Armax. On the surface, it seemed incredibly charitable for a high end manufacturer to promote such funding, were it not for Nivious’s own condition. It was not difficult for either Providentius or Aeos to surmise a connection. It was reason enough for Aeos to go to work.

His thoughts, in the same pattern as when he first departed, drifted back to Xern, and the Modalius fleet that he had left him in the hands of. Xern was in good hands, he knew, but all the same he felt guilty for having left him so soon after they had reunited. And though he was loathe to admit it, he missed him already. He was aware that these thoughts distracted him, robbed him of his otherwise unwavering focus. It was a sacrifice that he now believed to be worth the cost; at this point he would prefer anything to returning back to the operating mentality that his role required of him.

To his mild surprise, Aeos obtained landing authorization with ease; being a representative of a fellow turian company expedited the process, and granted him a landing pad right near the Armax Arsenal headquarters. As his freighter passed through into the planet’s atmosphere, Aeos spied the outlines of typical turian architecture; tall, angular spires stood like a phalanx of pikes and glimmered with artificial light through the windows. He observed that he approached one of the tallest of these skyscrapers. His freighter shook in fits from turbulence as he passed through storm clouds and rain. When he finally felt his ship come to rest on the metal surface, Aeos let out a long exhale, and savored the last few moments in his seat. Soon after, however, he was out the hatch. He did not risk bringing one of his pistols in a shoulder holster; he was here to appear in good faith. Finesse was paramount.

@remnantsofakyriakos

Aeos did not know what to expect, being brought alone back to the Captain’s office in the C-Sec academy. Most of the times after knowing Silas as a contact, he dealt with the Kyriakos as a family unit; the only times he interacted with them on an individual basis was either when one of them was left home. In Silas’s case, it usually involved sparring, but this time was different. Right now Aeos had the creeping sensation he had to answer for something in particular, or rather that something might be asked of him. In any case it was a strictly professional matter, and Aeos had no intention of passing anything that would transpire as a joke.

The ride back on Silas’s vehicle was a quiet, tense one for the spy. His grip on the seat was tight not only out of safety, but also because of his concern for what might be discussed, either about himself or one of the other matters. When they had arrived back at the Maxam’s workspace, Aeos took a place by one of the walls, leaning on it and crossing his arms.

The tan and crimson turian cracked a smile with a flare of his mandibles, his sky-blue eyes narrowed in satisfaction. “Back to the fleet, most likely,” Phasmus supposed, his posture relaxed and content. “I’ll be on deployment somewhere, but I’ll have leave again soon. And I’ll be coming right back here after that,” he reassured with a slight huff.

***

Aeos stared at the message for awhile and looked around for Xern. As he did so, he realized that perhaps it would not be a good idea to have him tag along with a Spectre like Nivious. He did not trust a charmer, even moreso with Xern’s predisposition for taking such kindness at face value. Still, they had only just reunited, and he had little intention of keeping Xern cooped up in his small apartment while he continued the investigation from before. It would require him to bring the mechanic up to speed, but if anything it would be like old times, working on the same op. The morning lights began to light up the interior, and the day began. Aeos typed on the haptic interface to send a message to Nivious.

Nivious,

A pause in the sizzling of the skillet went by unnoticed by it’s cause. Aeos’s eyes were fixed on his Omni-tool. He smiled slightly and finished cooking his breakfast meal before responding promptly in the solitude of his Citadel dwelling.