Second Star

Jacobs was standing at attention in front of a group of old men. He held in the discomfort he felt from the still-healing internal injuries. He would be damn before he showed any hint of emotion to this group of old folks. All he could do was hope his message and little care package made it to his lady. The lady who really calls the shots and Jacobs's true boss.

"It's a good thing all the files got destroyed. Even if that menace is aware of our movements." One old man said.

"We are not the only family vying for that child's power." Another one said.

"The contract with the Rockefellers can always be bought out. What is most important is the boy's disposition." A third one voiced his thoughts.

Jacobs was pretty sure these conceiving old vultures had already forgotten about his presence. They were too self-centered to bother to dismiss him. The instant he made a move though he was sure they would notice and make a comment on his behavior. Using it as a means to disgrace his boss.

Luckily for Jacobs, he did not have to wait long as Savannah walked into the boardroom. "Ah, there you are. Mr. Jacobs takes this brief and, well you know what to do after reading it." She said and handed him a folder full of documents.

"It seems we keep meeting here when we should not. I don't recall calling a board meeting today. As I recall my father had appointed me as the head of this family. If I remember correctly, only the family head can convey meetings here. Hmm, very weird." Savannah said to the group of old men before she turned around and departed. Jacobs taking her cue followed behind.

"The thing you sent is what hurt you? Amazingly, you're still alive." Savannah said as she continued to walk forward.

Jacobs knew her question was rhetorical. He remained silent and continued to listen to her. "You should have given it to your teacher. She knows well where it belongs. It's kind of a pain for me to deal with it. Then again I'm currently in the perfect position to handle it with ease. It's sure to make Jessica super jealous." She continues to speak her mind without a care in the world for those who were eavesdropping.

"Maybe I can buy some goodwill with the Minamoto Clan. Or I could give it to him myself but I don't know. How would he respond? He is a birdbrain in some regards. A big clueless dork. God, just talking about his lack of awareness is so frustrating." Savannah said out loud to no one.

"Jacobs, are you a hundred percent sure those bastards died? We can have them remain if there is the slightest of chances." Savannah asked.

"The three who attacked me all perished. I'm a hundred percent sure. If they had more accomplices on board is a different matter." He answered.

"Yes, there is always room for that. This is where we part ways. If you need anything contact M. And for the love of the Gods if my sister tries to meddle send her to me. Don't listen to her selfish requests even if she is your fiancee." She told him before dismissing the man.

Jacobs was a talent the family had invested heavily on. All to win him over. He should have been serving the Lee household. Well, now he was her elite operative. One she is trying to use sparingly. The man was bound to be her brother-in-law one day. She really did not want to make her sister a widow before that day occurred. After her sister had a couple of kids with him he could take on more dangerous work.

Hours later Savannah found herself lazing about in her bed. In her bedroom in the Lee Penthouse. She was playing with a gem in her hand. The blue sapphire would emit a pale blue light. As the gem moved between her fingers shadows and rays of light flickered around her room. The gem was the gift Jacobs had sent her. Along with a report about what had happened.

Jacobs was finalizing his report and sweeping the hideout one last time when three things attacked him. The attackers were Faceless boogeymen who use their prey's skin as their own. They could take over the life of anyone they had captured. They had been the ones who had brought the Star Gem with them. It was bad luck that Jacobs was a master of deconstruction. He inadvertently caused the seal to loosen a bit. Enough to destroy a small section of the station.

From Jacobs's report, the three were just as surprised to see him there as he was to them. The one who had the star gem had it embedded in some kind of pistol. It instantly fired on Jacobs the second they saw him. The shot disintegrated one of Jacobs' prized golems on the spot. Had the construct not intercepted the blast Jacobs would be dead now. No explosion would have occurred and three deadly covert spies would be free to do as they pleased.

Dismantling the pistol caused a volatile reaction. Jacobs' second golem took the brunt of that explosion and saved Jacobs's life again. Almost dying two times was enough for the man. He went straight to see his old sweetheart and alumni to be healed.

Learning Madam Lee was on the station was a surprise in itself. It explained why Kaden was a bit jumpy when Savannah saw him again for the first time in years. He had grown a bit but for the most part, the boy still looked how she remembered him. A huge nerd who loved to read. She could not help but giggle at remembering his face.

The planet was primarily tropical. Rainforest and thick jungles covered most of its available land mass. Vast oceanic bodies made up most of its surface. The life forms on it mostly live in the jungle lands or deep under the water surface.

In a dome deep in one of the many seas, a group of beings sat at a round table to debate the latest development. They were humanoid in appearance but lacked any defining features or gender. Hairless albinos with red eyes.

"We have spent much and invested many years in infiltrating that place. Now you say it's all for not." One of the creatures said in their native language. It sounded like hisses and clicking.

"All is not lost, the relics have all been already transferred." Another answered.

"But who knows how long we must wait before someone accidentally activates it." A third complained.

"The winter witch moved it at random. I'm sure she had thrown away the previous schedules. All their life stones have shattered." The first one to speak told the others.

One being in the room different from the others sat on an elevated pedestal. The only creature gender could be seen. A feminine figure that would put even Jessica Rockefeller to shame. She stayed silent this whole time.

"The goal had been achieved. Our master's will has been carried out. We will prepare and wait til the destined time." She said dismissing the meeting.

Back at the station, Kaden was facing his first true test as a leader. He did not want the job but would not slack from it either. The promised rewards his family had mentioned far outweighed the negative emotions he had about being the freshman elite team leader. "Max quit running away from Salvana. She is not going to bite you. Savannah, don't bite him." Kaden told the two.

"What exactly do these drills help us with?" Bruce asked. He was bored and rather went to his workshop and tinker with a gizmo or two he had collected. Celestia had a ton of cool tech and was kind enough to share it all with the team.

"Don't stop man." Bisma chastised Bruce who was currently his partner. They had their shoes tied together and were running laps. Had Bisma not been paying attention the two would have tumbled from failing to keep sync.

"Dude you're doing a great job matching my pace. I was confident that you would not be the reason we fell." Bruce told him with a cheeky smile. As for his question he was waiting for Kaden's answer.

"It's this or we can follow my grandma's training regiment. I'll show you it on our dinner break." Kaden said. He was also jogging with a partner. Tommy. The once chubby boy looks more like a young fit athletic man. A whole foot taller than Kaden currently. It was easy for Tommy to match the much shorter boy's pace.

The others also had been paired up. Jason and Ash were one pair. Jessica and Hinata another. Celestia was solo but using her mechanical power suit as a training partner. Maximo and Salvana were the last pair. They also were the only two not doing the training exercise properly. Max just would not let the girl get close enough to tie their shoes together.

Everyone but Kaden was fine ignoring them since they had to concentrate on not falling. "Buddy, just ignore them. Those two are miles ahead of our current abilities even if they slack off." Tommy told Kaden. He did not want to waste time on the two new members who had been training their powers since they were toddlers. The two also were heirs of wealthy families and did not need elite status like Jason, Bisma, Bruce, and him.

In Tommy's view Kaden, Ash, and Hinata were rich kids who did not need the status either. Not to mention Jessica whose family owns the entire space station they currently were on.

Nodding to Tommy's words Kaden did just that. He would have to address Maximos' fear of two certain ladies later but at the moment he was doing his training. He would have to wait to talk with the kid. He would try his best to keep Maximo from bursting into tears.

May Lee was currently standing before a panel of her fellow council members. They were not physically there with her. They were just holographic projections. The council was made up of thousands of different people across the vast Prime Universe. Some of the members did not even reside in it. Some lived their lives in a completely different reality.

The session lasted most of the day. Like most official meetings they had spent most of the time arguing their stances. Each fishing for an angle. Each wants to gain some benefit for their respective sector of space.

"We have come to an agreement. What more is there to discuss? May is on site and ** will change his mission and give her support." A shadow of a man spoke up.

"Hump, easy for you to say. You're not going be the one who loses if something more drastic happens at that place." Another this time a shadowy lady said.

"Safety of the students is and should remain our focus. Financial expenses and gains can be stored after the storm has passed." Some other members stated.

"I know I don't have to remind you but don't let the station authorities know what is going on. We don't need a panic on top of everything else." The first shadowy man told May Lee. He along with every other member who had attended them signed off. Each of their respective figures disappeared into thin air.

May Lee was like normal, left frustrated with her colleagues. 'Basterds each and everyone one of them she thought.

"They seem to think that we are still in the hot spot," Bee said as he walked out the corner in his car form.

"Those old ghosts are always paranoid. It's how they managed to maintain their respective positions." May Lee told Bee. "They think their plots will earn them a chance. Too bad the boy is already under contract. That old fool's eye is sharp, how could he allow the council a turn." May Lee then complained. Her assignment was going to be an annoying task. At least she will be able to spend quality time with her grandson.