Zenozarax II

29.03.2026

Zenozarax stared at the image before him while through the connection to the console the security footage Xaronzul had gathered was laid out in excruciating detail — he knew it by heart already, every move and every shift. But he stared at that image because otherwise it didn't seem real. He saw that man before him and he saw what Xaronzul had seen. And he didn't want it to be true.

“Is there any chance it’s not him?” he finally asked, his own voice sounding distant to himself. Wasting time with denial. He was looking mainly at Mokatar and in extension Sukatar who couldn't be here right now. But she probably should, if this was true. If this fight had finally come, he wanted, needed, her at his side.

Xaronzul was pacing across the room. He didn't look good; scared and nervous, like reality itself had broken around him. Zenozarax wanted to tell him everything would be fine but he couldn't. Even well meant it would probably be a lie. Pelagius’ eyes lay on him. Careful, waiting. Zenozarax could see it in his eyes that he very clearly understood the situation. And he was ready to act whatever happened next, awaiting orders.

“He was one of the Twilight when the Dawnbreak was attacked — maybe the trauma, the shock… that can change people,” Moakatar said weakly. But just a second after that she added, after a heavy breath, what sounded more like Sukatar's sober and cutting objection, “But the Twilights systems were malfunctioning at exactly that time. Displaying the board manifest with duplicates. If there was ever a moment for Quadirymir to sneak onto that ship, it was after he forced heavy damage and repairs onto the Twilight, manipulating the system, and using that glitch to probably kill Donald Kram and take his place.”

Unfortunately, it was a very, very logical turn of events as retrospectively, all Quadirymir had done had a crystal clear motive behind it.

He should have known it.

It was so obvious now.

He looked back at the man, Donald Kram, who was most certainly dead by now. He looked at that face: it was not perfect, but it was close enough to be convincing. But the longer Zenozarax looked at him the more he saw the underlying form of the old man. The Part of Quadirymir that had helped free him from Charon. This disguise wasn't a one to one match, because it was quickly made, an adjustment to the previous form, not a completely new build. A compromise no doubt due to time constraints, but it had been good enough to ruin everything.

Quadirymir was here.

On his station.

For weeks.

A nauseating feeling bloomed in his core as the mere presence of this wizard sullied the pristine idea of what the Edge of the Universe had been. The Edge of the Universe had been a haven, a place far away from Quadirymir, a place he could call home. A place that had been safe.

Quadirymir's presence had from one moment to another destroyed all of that and turned it instead into a ticking timebomb.

From this blossoming nausea, tendrils of fear and consequently anger sprouted, threatening to strangle him if he didn't act immediately.

— Think about it. It all makes sense, but he still wants something.

All of them looked at him. His Wizard too, still on the Dark Citadel, on the enemy's ground, with the other Parts of Xaronzul, Moakatar and Sukatar. All of them aware. But that was exactly why the Wizard urged for caution.

“Let’s handle this carefully,” Zenozarax finally said, fighting his own rushing thoughts at every word. “He has been here for weeks, we shouldn't escalate this situation immediately. He will realize we know sooner rather than later one way or another. Chances are good we can't even trust the internal communication anymore. Already now, with you—” he nodded to Pelagius, “—talking to him and next all of us gathering here might tell him enough to suspect.”

There were various levels of unease about that fact, the frown on Pelagius face deepened with a light shake of the head, Moakatar looked nothing but distraught, Xaronzul muttered a curse under his breath.

Moakatar spoke next, calm and detached, “In what little time we have we have to ready both Su and Tash’ Parts on the Dark Citadel to be evacuated.” She paused before saying the quiet part out loud: “Evacuating them now could still damage them. Especially Su. Tash will be most likely fine, he’s almost done.”

“I’ll be with Sukatar, you stay with Xaronzul,” he said to Moakatar, Xaronzul had stepped up to her listening closely. While Zenozarax continued speaking Moakatar took Xaronzul's trembling hand the moment he was close enough without ever taking her eyes from Zenozarax. “Teleport your part directly into the medbay. He’ll be fine there. I’ll be with Sukatar. We’ll have to temporarily store her in suspension till we are safe again.”

Zenozarax glanced back at the picture of who was no longer Donald Kram.

“He will want to use this. He’s not here to cause a fight — even though he has earned one.” Zenozarax frowned. “If he wanted us dead, we would already be dead. He’s putting us back at our place. We tried to beat him at his own game and failed. All this, what he knows, his presence here, is to remind us that our lives are at his mercy.” It was at best an educated guess but he said it firmly enough to sound factual. He looked back at the others. “Everyone on this station is in danger.”

“So what do we do? Submit to him?” Xaronzul asked with a sneer. The nervous twitching of his body had calmed now that Moakatar kept his hand firmly in hers, calming his agitated mind. It didn't take all the fear from his voice however.

“Not yet. First we need to establish if he suspects anything. I will talk to Ravalor, inform him of the situation. He needs to stay away from him at all costs so it’s best if he’s not on the station at all. I think Quadirymir will continue to try and get to Ravalor's other parts. If he gets hold of him, there is nothing I can do against him.” Zenozarax remembered all too vividly the debilitating pain when, for but a short while, he had thought to have lost Ravalor forever. “Where is he now?”

“He’s been in engineering with Tarnax. Taking Aeven with him,” Xaronzul said, almost reluctantly leaving Moakatar for the console, but Pelagius interjected before he had fully finished his sentence.

“It’s noon. He might be heading to the Restaurant now. Kram— Quadirymir was still there when I left. It’s not been that long.”

“Xaronzul?”

“They are there,” Xaronzul confirmed with dread in his voice, as the live video feed from the restaurant showed up on the screens. Back on the right corner there was Ravalor and Aeven, one of the Tarnax’ was with them, Wolla Tarnax, from Engineering. And the old man wearing Donald Kram’s face.

Sickening fear fueled the anger in his core like gasoline poured into an open flame, tightening his chest till he felt it was just about to crush his heart. For weeks this had happened, for weeks nothing had come of it. But that could change any moment. His breath shuddered.

“Get your parts ready now. Carefully. The Twilight needs to be on standby too, ready to jump. Use the emergency port points only and cut her off from everything else,” he said to Moakatar, then turning to Xaronzul, “Can we jump if we have to?”

“Station will be ready, on your mark. But we need the people to be ready too.”

“Not yet. Everything you do needs to be as quiet as possible. Keep an eye on him, me and Ravalor. If at any point things appear to escalate, run emergency drills on the med bay and sec to get them ready if we have to jump without prep.”

Xaronzul nodded. “Acknowledged.”

“You come with me,” he said to Pelagius. And even when he was no longer able to really command Pelagius to do anything, the determination in the former knight's face made it clear enough that while Pelagius would never mourn Zenozarax' demise, he would go to hell and back to keep the other people around him safe. If those accidentally included Zenozarax he would accept it as an unfortunate overlap.

“Of course.” And he followed him promptly. “What do you plan to do?” Pelagius asked as they quickly walked down the corridor.

“I’ll get Ravalor and Aeven out of there,” he said, trying to keep his tone free of his anger, and knew he earned the more than skeptical frown on Pelagius’ face. “I know this might escalate the situation, but if it does, he already suspected something and I would rather get ahead of it in that case. If he doesn't react and lets me take them, that would be ideal. Then we know we have at least some time, no matter how little. But if he’s already suspicious, I need to get them out of here now before he suddenly decides to kidnap either of them as a bargaining chip,” he explained with a hushed voice.

Some of that seemed to make sense to Pelagius because he didn't object, instead he asked, “Can’t you warn them? Send them a message?”

Zenozarax raised his brows, because it wasn't like he hadn't considered doing so himself. “Should I? Sure, Ravalor can sell a lie or pretense if you don't know him very well, Aeven can not, but Quadirymir will pick up if anything is off. No matter how small.” He shook his head, frustrated. He felt a dangerous sense of powerlessness. He stopped walking, they had reached the static exchange node of this level, and Pelagius followed suit. “I know the safest thing would be to wait for them to leave the restaurant on their own, but…” he looked down the corridor and back to Pelagius whose frown had only deepened. No longer in doubt, but understanding.

“The risk is too high,” Pelagius concluded. “Even if nothing has happened this whole time, there is a chance he will act right now.”

Zenozarax nodded, and there was something unexpectedly reassuring having Pelagius of all people agree with him. Afterall, he was in a tight race with Aeven to take the top spot of the list of people hating him from the bottom of their hearts. But of course, Pelagius was too level headed to let that colour his judgment, especially in a case where his own well being was at stake.

“I need all three of you out of here immediately. Away from the station, out of his reach when he makes his demands.”

“What then? Playing this out till the end, with all he has done, he will never have your loyalty,” Pelagius said, as if to confirm Zenozarax' musing.

“He won't need it if he has one, or worse, all of you.” Zenozarax nodded behind Pelagius into the exchange node with the static portals connecting throughout the station. “That’s why you need to be on the Twilight too.”

“I can't just leave!”

“You must. I won't hand him all leverage on a silver platter. Every one here will be much safer once all of you are off the station.”

Pelagius did not object again.

Please log in to leave and read comments.