Chapter 80: The Last Secret

"Why don't you walk me through it just one more time," Sergeant Xllq said, crossing her thick arms. She was the head of the entire security force, and the Kremel Lusac had served at their training dinner a few weeks prior. They were in a small, bland room located in the basement of the mansion.

The real basement, not the even deeper underground where they kept the servant quarters. When coming from the corridor where the assassination attempt happened, they'd taken Lus to a special elevator which took them straight down to the security section, complete with multiple cells and interrogation rooms. It was strange that the Senator equipped his house with such things, but in this situation, it proved prudent.

Lus sighed and rubbed his face with his cuffed hands. An hour they'd been at this interrogation, and still she was asking him to repeat the story. He couldn't even begin to guess why, but he had a feeling that she didn't believe his version of events.

Then again, it was a complete lie, so why should she?

"Mr. Andrews," she said.

"Right, right. So it all started when I heard Fresa-Ersht was going to be the one taking the new soup up to Trwq…"

Lus recited his tale, careful to leave out different details than the first time seven times he'd told it to make it seem more organic instead of rote memorization. He wasn't that good of a liar, but he'd picked up a few tips and tricks while working on the Argo alongside professional liars.

As with every time before, Sergeant Xllq took meticulous notes, stopping him occasionally to ask clarifying questions.

"And then the security guards found me in the closet after the assassin left," Lus concluded. He set his hands on the table, careful to keep them still.

Xllq nodded, deep wrinkles in her gray skin. "I see."

They sat there in an awkward silence for a moment until she abruptly stood up and walked out without so much as a "goodbye."

Lus shifted in the cold metal chair and allowed one knee to bounce up and down in hopes of burning some of his nervous energy off. His mind was running amok with all the horrible ways this could end.

What if they caught Shelbs and she told them the truth?

What if they figured out he was a Runner?

What if Fresa-Ersht decided to go full competitor mode and try to get him locked up to eliminate some of the competition for Chef Savannah's attention?

Both feet were frantically tapping as his thoughts spiraled out of control, his imagination already sending him to the deepest cell of the COPS' galactic prison. Surely they had called the COPS after all. Someone was almost assassinated. He half expected Officer Rhyne to barge through the door and begin grilling about Leviathan at any second.

Leviathan…

What would happen to his Demon when he was carted off to jail? Becky would take care of Avil, but someone was bound to come across the ancient USB and learn his secret. In that case, Lus would likely lose his system. Not that it mattered much if he was going to be sitting in prison for the rest of his life. He didn't think prisoners had much access to cooking equipment anyway.

The door opened, and Lusac braced for his fate. Luckily it was only Sergeant Xllq.

Lus tried to look scared (which wasn't hard given how nervous he actually was, even if it was for the wrong reasons) and gave her his best pleading face.

"A-am I in trouble? I don't understand why you're keeping me here." He was doing his best to keep up his innocent bystander routine, but it was getting old playing the same old tune.

Xllq smiled, and a brief sense of relief filled Lus. It was a gentle smile, if small, and not the mean, evil kind that meant they were going to throw him in a dungeon and throw away the key.

"No, Mr. Andrews. You're not in trouble. We only wanted to be absolutely sure we had all the information. We also kept you here for your own safety in case the assassin returned," the Kremel said. She stood next to the table, making no motions of taking a seat.

"R-return? You think she'll come back?" Lus tried to make a face of pure terror.

"No. We've scoured the mansion, and we're sure she's gone. You'll be safe now. What you did was very brave in protecting Fresa-Ersht, and the Senator himself would like to speak with you about the incident."

Lusac's stomach grew tight once again. A personal meeting with Senator Grwtln sounded bad, even if the Sergeant was painting it in a good light. He never liked being on the bottom of such a huge power imbalance, and some part of him was worried that they would discover his identity if they dug deep enough. And if they were wanting to let him see the Senator face to face, that meant they were being thorough in their background check of him.

"Oh, that's not necessary. Honestly, I think going back to my room and getting to watch sports or something would be more helpful." Lus chuckled, his fingers tapping on the table.

"The Senator insists. Don't worry. You're a hero, Mr. Andrews."

Lus nodded. There was no getting out of it, but if they hadn't learned the truth about him yet, perhaps his secret would remain safe even through this.

Xllq bent down and undid his cuffs, and immediately Lus began to rub where the metal had bit into his skin. She then motioned him to the door, and he hesitantly walked towards it, still apprehensive about meeting the owner of this grand mansion.

Lus stepped into the hallway and was greeted by a set of two more security guards. They took the lead in guiding him through the security bunker while Xllq stayed at his rear.

Soon they were in the elevator going up to the main mansion. This one took them all the way to the fourth floor, the highest floor of the manor.

Xllq walked out first, and Lus followed close behind as she guided him through the unfamiliar corridors. He rarely had an excuse to come up all this way since it held things like a sunroom, a game room, and a parlor–none of which ever required a personal waiter.

The Kremel came to a stop in front of a grand wooden door with more intricate carvings than he could count and a security officer next to it. He knew what lay behind, but the Senator's office was one of the most well guarded rooms in the mansion so he'd never gotten the chance to explore it during his minor excursions as a fake cleaner.

Lusac took a breath as Xllq opened the door and ushered him inside.

The office was large, airy, and full of natural light. It was tastefully decorated with a variety of art pieces including an exceptionally fine painting over the fireplace which was a detailed portrait of one of the elusive and rare Shamayim, the fourth sentient space-faring species in the galaxy. It was male Shamayim with pale skin, pointy ears, and brilliant blonde hair. He bore the usual purple markings on his forehead of all Shamayim, and he even wore the grand gold wings that were the hallmark of fashion for his people.

"Lus Andrews, the cook who saved Fresa-Ersht," Xllq introduced him, diverting his attention from the artwork.

Lus stared forward at the elderly Kremel sitting a wide, leather chair behind the wood and stone desk which bore Grwtln's family insignia on the front. The Senator had light gray skin, and despite his senior years, his skin was well cared for. His head bore only the tracest amounts of black hair, but his orange eyes were keen and discerning.

"Hello, Mr. Andrews. It is a pleasure to meet you." His voice was smooth and deep.

Xllq nudged Lusac who suddenly remembered his manners.

"The pleasure is all mine, Senator," he said quickly.

Grwtln held out one meaty hand, and Lus tentatively shook it.

"That will be all, Xllq. I just want to have a little chat with Mr. Andrews, and then I'll send him back to the employee quarters for a much deserved rest." Grwtln smiled at the security chief.

"Of course, Senator." Xllq ducked her head and stepped out of the office, closing the door behind her.

Lus's eyes darted around the office, eager to look anywhere but the grinning Senator. Some of the artwork looked old, ancient even, the kind of relics that might be in a museum. Even with everything that had happened, part of Lus remained focused on completing his true mission, and he briefly scanned all the shelves in hopes of finding the artifact they were after.

He had no such luck, and the Senator began speaking, drawing his attention from the walls.

"I understand you're a fan of art," Grwtln said. "This room holds some of my favorite pieces, most of them the most valuable ones in my collection."

"It is a very impressive collection," Lus replied. He stayed at the door, unsure what proper protocol was for a private meeting.

"Some of the pieces are older than Nemarian interstellar travel even," the Senator bragged.

Lus's eyes went wide. Their target relic fit that description. "Really, sir? D-do you think I could see some of those?"

The Kremel laughed. "A man after my own heart. Sure. I suppose it's the least I can do after you saved me from disaster."

Grwtln noted Lusac's confused expression. "I knew who Fresa-Ersht was before she ever stepped foot on the property. Her mother and I worked out a deal to let her daughter train under my head chef. Losing Fresa-Ersht would have caused political problems for everyone."

"I see, sir. I'm just glad Fresa is okay," Lusac said.

The Senator chuckled and stood up. He went to a glass-encased shelving unit and unlocked the door. From inside he retrieved a small artifact and brought it to the desk where he gently set it down.

"This is a piece of pottery dating back to a civilization which lived before Nemarians took to the stars. Scholars have told me that it's imbued with a rare, almost imperceptible energy type that they can't quite pinpoint the cause of. It may very well be the last piece of a lost civilization with a uniquely developed technological path."

Lus stared down at the artifact. Not just any artifact, but the very piece he and Vlqtrn were looking for.

"I'm still looking for the right person to properly identify what exactly this piece belongs to and what its purpose is. Truthfully, I think it may very well change the Cinder Rock Galaxy as we know it if this piece is half as important as some of the professors I've shown it to have claimed." The Senator stared longingly at the artifact.

Lusac wanted to say something, but a notification interrupted his train of thought.

[Quest Complete: Manor of Secrets]

He blinked in surprise. What exactly was the last secret? That the Senator had the piece in his office or that he believed it was some big deal? Lus didn't know for sure, but he also didn't care too much since all that mattered was that he completed his [Quest].

"A lovely piece. I'm shocked it's in such good condition for its age," Lus said, finally pulling himself out of his stupor enough to recognize that the Senator was waiting for a response.

Grwtln smiled. "Don't worry. It makes me speechless too to think about it." The Kremel took the piece back to the shelf and safely locked it away. He then sat down and motioned for Lus to do the same in the chair on the opposite side of the desk.

"I appreciate you showing it to me, Senator. Clearly it's very valuable and important," Lusac said as he sat down.

The Kremel waved a hand. "Ha. Not as much as you would think. It's value only became apparent once I got proper testing. For most people, even thorough researchers, that thing is nothing more than an old fragment of a pot."

Grwtln leaned back in his chair. "But on to other matters. Xllq has given me the story of what happened with Fresa and the assassin, but I was hoping I could hear it straight from the source. I do love a good tale of heroism."

Lus nodded and swallowed against his suddenly dry mouth. He supposed he should have expected to have to rehash the story again, but he was getting sick of telling it over and over again. Not to mention his mind was caught up on more important matters such as the fact that he discovered where their target was and that he'd completed his [Quest].

Still, he did as the Senator asked and retold his made up story involving a spur of the moment decision to protect Fresa and then getting kidnapped by the assassin. The Senator listened respectfully, and perhaps sort of raptfully. At the end of it, he grinned at Lus and thanked him again for his service.

Grwtln said more words. A lot of words all meaning the same thing, but Lus had stopped paying attention. His focus was instead on forming a plan to retrieve the artifact and escape. It definitely sucked that the piece they needed was in the most well-guarded location in the mansion, but he trusted that he and Vlqtrn could figure something out.

It took several more minutes of wasted chatting until the Senator sent him on his way, and Lus eagerly left the office behind to make his way to the servant quarters in hopes of finding Vlqtrn to give him the good news.

They had a real shot at completing their mission and getting out of this stuffy building. And the best part, there were no more secrets Lus had to worry about.