“I’m going to need you to run that one by me again,” Feriadd said, as Gril’Die finished speaking to him. Almost a full cycle had passed since that eventful day in the Council Room. It seemed so much longer to Feriadd now. With all the planning and operative placements along with the operation of the Ginnung as a whole, Feriadd’s hands were fuller now than they’d ever been. Despite that, there was no man in the Ginnung busier than its recently appointed Chief Strategist, Gril’Die Khuda Mundi.
Now, the two were in Feriadd’s office in Lower Skogr City, so named for its location under the water above’s surface. The Council Room was a part of Upper Skogr City, and most of the Councilors preferred to quarter above the surface, but Feriadd felt that this location better suited his job. He wanted to remind himself at all times that he was not in the position he was in by anyone’s will but that of the Ginnung themselves. He wanted to remember that they all had family, friends, and loved ones here in hiding and out on other worlds that they all wanted to keep safe.
Feriadd’s office was carved out of what was called a retree, a tree which had grown to full size again inside the city. Of course, that meant that he was inside a tree inside another tree inside the sea, which he rather enjoyed saying. Today, however, was not a day for jokes such as that. In fact, it wasn’t a day for jokes at all. Intelligence had just come in of the escape of prisoner 83109 from his newest containment facility, and Gril’Die was proposing they use that as an opportunity to communicate with him.
“Think about it, Feriadd,” Gril’Die implored, leaning in toward Feriadd’s desk. “When they catch him again, they’re guaranteed to move him to the Nivlahim facility. This could be our only chance to talk to him and get him to join our side.”
“You say that, but how do we know we can even get him to talk to us if we find him? What’s going to keep him from killing whomever we send after him? The man’s a mass murderer at this point. He hasn’t learned anything about emotional suppression in prison. If anything, he’s even more dangerous every day he spends locked up. Now, he’s gotten both powerful and aggressive enough that they need to move him to Nivlahim! Do you know what the Nivlahim facility does to its inmates, Mi’Olnr?”
Feriadd brought forward a number of legitimate concerns. For one thing, anyone they sent after him would have to be able to match him in a fight, which would be almost impossible. For another thing, that same person somehow able to match a Sheii’Cronell in a fight would have to be able to track him down in the first place. Lastly, it required a great show of aggression to be sent to Nivlahim.
The Nivlahim facility was the prison designed only for the most hardened of criminals who couldn’t be contained or controlled anywhere else. Currently, the Nivlahim facility had one prisoner. The prisoner already there was named Geri’Aldr Barednt, and he had killed over two thousand people with his bare hands before getting caught and doing the same thing in prison.
Nivlahim was Thorlinthia’s coldest planet, locked in a permanent winter, its summers still filled with snow even when the planet was nearest the equivalent of Antarctica on the equator, such were the lengths between Linthia, the system’s artificial dwarf star, and Nivlahim. Most of its surface was completely covered in ice even in the summer. As a water planet, this meant that Nivlahim’s oceans were sub-freezing temperature at all times, held in liquid form by the pressure of the ice pressing back down on the water.
The Nivlahim was known never to have had an escape, but that didn’t mean the prison was inescapable. If anyone could figure it out, it would be a Sheii’Cronell. However, prisoners didn’t have much time to think in the Nivlahim facility. They were kept alive via feeding tubes and breathers, all the while keeping the prisoner tethered on a very long chain attached to the bottom of the ocean. This kept their bodies from experiencing time while doing nothing but think in their freezing, naked little bodies.
“Look, I realize the plan isn’t fantastic. Still, it’s the only chance we’ve got, and I don’t want to blow it. If we can find him, there’s a likely chance it will be the only time we have with him between our finding him and the prison system finding him.” Gril’Die almost struck the High Councilor’s desk, stopping just shy with his hand not even a finger’s width above the wood of the tasks.
Feriadd eyed the counter consciously as he contemplated the strength and discipline that came with a strike that powerful packed into such a small packet as Gril’Die’s fist. “What we need, Mi’Olnr,” said Feriadd, “is someone who can actually hold their own against a Sheii’Cronell. That’s priority number one.”
“Well, it looks like we’ll actually need a tracker, too, since we don’t know where he is or where he’ll be when we actually manage to send our guy out.” Gril’Die snapped his fingers, frustrated. “If only we had one of those.”
“Yes, that would be excellent,” Feriadd said, “but the problem is that no one can hold their own against this man. He’s a Sheii’Cronell.” They both crossed their arms in an effort to think a bit harder on any possible operations candidates.
“Well,” a familiar female voice called out gently from the shadows, “it looks like you two are in need of me again.” The Matriarch stepped from the shadowy corner of the room. Her black uniform was again fully decorated in the traditional ribbons and medals of the Armada. The belt wrapped loosely around her hips held various devices that she used in operations, and every holster in her uniform was filled. Her hips swayed, creating a clacking sound as she moved toward the desk. “I can’t send one of my girls after him because he’d tear them apart, but I can deal with an undisciplined Sheii’Cronell who hasn’t had any formal training. I’ll do it.”
At first, there were the usual few moments of shock as everyone got over the fact that she was in the room. After that, Feriadd stood and shook her hand. “I’d love to have your help, Matriarch.” They nodded, and the Matriarch sat down to discuss what would be done afterward with the two.